(Web Desk) - President Donald Trump met with his national security team Thursday to discuss whether to resume military operations against Iran, senior officials confirmed to Fox News.
There were meetings at the White House Wednesday and Thursday, the officials said.
Nov 9 marks a new moon in the Middle East, meaning little to no moonlight — a condition favorable for military operations, they added.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier Thursday that Washington would “make a decision” on resuming the war.
“Do we want to go further” with strikes to ensure Iran's nuclear program is dead and that “it will never happen again?” he added.
“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough.”
US Central Command is finalizing preparations for a potential resumption of major operations in Iran but has not received a new directive from Washington, according to reports citing a U.S. official.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi also told Trump during a phone call Thursday that Iraqi territory must not be used to launch strikes against neighboring countries.
"Prime Minister affirmed Iraq's position calling for respect for the sovereignty of states, non-use of its territories as a launchpad for aggression against neighboring countries," the prime minister's office said in a statement on X.