Trump's week in review: Saudi Arabia's nuclear deal; data center push; escalating war in Iran

3. Tensions continue with Iran as Trump suggests ‘massive attack’ is on the table 

The ongoing war in Iran continued to make news this week, with Trump directing harsh rhetoric toward the Islamic Republic in a series of social media posts. Trump warned Iran in a Tuesday Truth Social post that “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!”

The president’s remarks reflect the deaths of two U.S. service members following an Iranian attack, which U.S. Central Command announced in an X post over the weekend. 

In a Truth Social post published Wednesday, Trump vowed that “From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran.” 

Trump’s rhetoric toward Iran comes as CENTCOM has conducted 13 consecutive nights of strikes against Iranian military targets for the stated purpose of seeking to “hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping.” 

In an interview with Axios Thursday, Trump signaled that he was “considering a massive attack” on Iran that would be “bigger than ever before.” He told the publication he was “close to making a decision” and suggested that Iran has not “received enough pain yet.”