President Donald Trump’s declaration that he will soon decide whether to “annihilate” Iran quickly drew disbelief from critics warning that further attacks could only worsen the situation.
“Sounds like a game show to him,” wrote ex-Netanyahu aide Shalom Lipner, now a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Trump ignited the fresh backlash after he told Axios on Thursday that he was approaching a critical turning point over whether to resume massive attacks against Iran.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not?” Trump said of the Iranian regime. “It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me.”
Daniel McAdams, the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute, pointed to the strikes Trump has already ordered.
“You already tried massive attacks. They didn’t work,” McAdams posted on X. “What are you going to do? Start mass slaughter of civilians?”
“So, in other words,” political commentator Ed Krassenstein wrote Thursday on social media, “he’s deciding on whether to massively attack Iran or to essentially surrender while calling it ‘victory.’”
But Middle East analyst Ryan Bohl questioned whether Trump was merely seeking attention.
“How I know he does this for the headlines; there’s no element of surprise left for Iran,” Bohl told his X followers.
Trump’s remarks came ahead of a planned Tuesday meeting with leaders from six Gulf countries on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Axios reported. The gathering will reportedly focus on ending the war and planning for its aftermath.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me.” @BarakRavid Sounds like a game show to him.https://t.co/qvtfI3me4x — Shalom Lipner (@ShalomLipner) September 17, 2026
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