Trump ‘locked and loaded’ for potential strikes in Iran but would ‘rather not destroy rest of the country’

The future of the US war in Iran hangs in the balance after Donald Trump and his Republican Party suffered a rout in the midterm elections. But the 81-year-old president has far from wavered from his aggressive rhetoric against Iran.

President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

On Thursday (November 5), speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said that the US is “locked and loaded” to launch a potential operation in Iran, noting that the US military is building more weapons than “we’ve ever built before.”

“We’re building more weapons right now in our military than we’ve ever built before,” Trump said. “If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we’re very much locked and loaded.”

In response to a previous question, Trump said that an attack on Iran is not off the table yet, but he is still undecided about it.

“We’ll make a decision,” Trump said about future US actions in the West Asian country. “Do we want to go further and just certify it? By certifying it, meaning it’ll never happen again. I think it’ll take them 25 years to rebuild the country.

“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country, if possible, but maybe I’ll have to. You’ll know soon enough.”

Trump’s comments came after he seemed to partially agree with Vice President JD Vance, who laid much of the blame for the Republicans’ midterm rout on the Iran war and its economic impact on Americans. Trump said he agreed partly with Vance but defended the war, saying he would “do it again” if faced with the same choice.

Also read: Trump says ‘largely true’ Iran war led to midterm losses but defends actions

Trump stays mum on Iran’s nuclear proposal

Even as Trump’s aggressive rhetoric about the Iran war continues, mediators are working in the backrooms to forge a deal between the US and Iran. On Thursday, Reuters reported that Iran has sent a proposal to the US about its nuclear program via Qatar as part of the discussions around a peace deal.

The peace talks picked up pace after news reports before the US midterms claimed that the US was planning a major attack on Iran after the elections, allegedly at the behest of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Also read: Hakeem Jeffries’ ‘private’ meetings with Jared Kushner central to petition against his House speakership

Reuters reported Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter, that Iran sent the nuclear proposal separately from the conditions of the peace deal. The nuclear proposal hinges on whether the rest of the seven conditions of the deal are accepted.

At Thursday’s presser, Trump was asked about the reports of the nuclear proposal by Reuters. He said that Iran is “not doing anything without US approval.”

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