President Trump said on Oct. 25 that it is "getting to be decision time" on whether to make a deal with Iran or resume strikes, according to the Straits Times. He made the remark in a Fox News Sunday Morning Futures interview, as Iranian and Houthi threats to Americans grow. The Trump Iran strikes deal question now sits at the center of a widening confrontation in the Middle East.
Trump has suggested that US strikes on Iran could resume after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to the Straits Times. He has also sent additional forces toward the Persian Gulf, including a third aircraft carrier group. Speaking to reporters on Oct. 25, he said, "There won’t be a strike today."
The Straits Times reports that Iran is starting to attack more ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz, causing more severe damage. Shipping and maritime security officials say Iran is now using guided missiles rather than attack drones, the paper reported. The report does not include independent confirmation of the scale of the damage.
Al Jazeera reports that a missile was downed near Riyadh. Iran said renewed US-Israeli attacks "will achieve no different outcome," according to the same outlet. Only the Al Jazeera headline and a short excerpt were available for checking, and no second source confirms the Riyadh missile report.
The Houthis have repeatedly struck the Riyadh airport, according to the Straits Times. The airport reopened for commercial flights on Oct. 25.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced stop in Israel and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Straits Times reports. The visit came days before Israel’s election on Oct. 27.
The US staffing picture is disputed. The State Department initially acknowledged that diplomats were departing only from Saudi Arabia. An American official told Bloomberg News on Oct. 23 that staffing changes are taking place more broadly as Iran intensifies attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz. No independent source confirms the reported extent of the changes.
Iran’s plans to retaliate against Israel and the UAE rest on one unnamed person familiar with Tehran’s thinking, according to the reporting available. No official has confirmed those plans.
Officials warn that the period between the election and the new Congress taking office could be particularly dangerous. A negotiated deal is seen as the most likely way to end the conflict, according to the Straits Times.
Israel launched the war against Iran alongside the United States, and it has its own political calculations. The Straits Times reports that if Netanyahu loses, rival Gadi Eisenkot may be less eager to restart the war.
Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution, said: "All indications point to a resumption of war and a major bombing campaign, although the timing remains uncertain."
Trump’s decision on a deal or renewed strikes is pending. Israel votes on Oct. 27, and the US midterms are on Nov. 3. Strikes could resume after the midterms, according to the Straits Times.
Most of the details in this report come from the Straits Times, and the Riyadh missile report rests on Al Jazeera alone. No White House or State Department statement on the timing of any decision was included, and no response from Houthi or Israeli officials was available beyond Iran’s statement.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.