Trump Issues New Warning to Iran: "We'll Be Making a Decision Soon"

U.S. President Donald Trump addressed Iran this evening (Tuesday) while speaking to reporters on the White House lawn.

"Iran is a failed country. We'll be making a decision about them soon. It's a country with no navy, no air force, its economy is the worst in the world, and inflation there stands at 301%. And in a very nasty way, they're attacking Saudi Arabia and deliberately trying to drive up oil prices, apparently ahead of the elections in the United States. That's not nice. By the way, we control the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said.

The remarks come just a day after the American president said his administration was holding "productive talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Trump stated: "I want to make clear to everyone that although Iran is in a very difficult situation, both economically and militarily, and although the blockade will remain in full force, with oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz in unprecedented volumes — 22 million barrels last night alone, without a single barrel coming from Iran or destined for it — we will not attack Iran at any point before the midterm elections for Congress, which will take place in the United States on November 3. However, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon!"

In a separate post on Truth Social this evening, Trump addressed reports that Russia and China are providing assistance to Iran.

"I don't believe that China and Russia are helping Iran at all. Moscow and Beijing have far too much to lose if they help Tehran. If they are indeed doing so, it's at a very low level, but I don't believe they're doing it at all. They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and we'd know it very quickly," he wrote.

Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf previously prompted U.S. intelligence analysts to examine whether Russia had supplied targeting information or advanced drone technology. European foreign ministers raised the issue during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in March. That same month, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia was providing Iran with targeting information.

Moscow and Beijing maintain close ties with Tehran. Russia has warned that the war with Iran could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, while China condemned American strikes against Tehran, describing them as a blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty.

Last month, during the Chinese leader's visit to Washington, Trump warned President Xi Jinping against providing support to Iran and received assurances that China would not do so, according to the U.S. ambassador to China at the time.

The warning followed reports that China had supplied Iran with shoulder-launched air defense missile launchers and that Tehran had found ways to circumvent sanctions on its oil sales with Chinese assistance.