Trump Weighs 'Big Decision' Amid Iran War as Ex-Counterterrorism Chief Warns 'There Is No Military Solution'
President Donald Trump is reportedly mulling over whether the U.S. could restart military strikes against Iran, but former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent believes the White House should pull troops out of the Middle East. Trump Touts Big Decision In an interview with Axios on Thursday, Trump said that he had a “big decision coming up” about whether the U.S. would want to “annihilate” Iran’s top officials or not. “Anything could happen with me,” he said. The report says that the comments come as Trump is set to meet with officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and more in the coming week. Read Also: Trump Suggests US Could Remain in Iran to Control Oil Reserves Like With Venezuela, Predicts Gas Prices Will ‘Drop Like a Rock’ Once War Ends: Report The White House did not immediately respond to ’s request for comment. Kent took to the social media platform X following the interview, urging Trump to pull U.S. troops and ships out of Iran’s range. “All it would take is one lucky strike from the Iranians to escalate this on their terms,” he said, adding that the U.S. should not wait for “disaster” to strike and pull troops out. “Use the economic leverage we have to offer sanctions r
S. could restart military strikes against Iran, but former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent believes the White House should pull troops out of the Middle East. S. would want to “annihilate” Iran’s top officials or not.
“Anything could happen with me,” he said. The report says that the comments come as Trump is set to meet with officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and more in the coming week. Read Also: Trump Suggests US Could Remain in Iran to Control Oil Reserves Like With Venezuela, Predicts Gas Prices Will ‘Drop Like a Rock’ Once War Ends: Report The White House did not immediately respond to ’s request for comment. S.
troops and ships out of Iran’s range. S. should not wait for “disaster” to strike and pull troops out. ’s only goal should be to open the waterway.
“There is no military solution, and the Iranians have said they won’t give Trump a deal,” he said. S. should “restrain the Israelis, get out of the Middle East, and focus on issues here at home,” touting an America first approach. POTUS should pull our troops & ships out of range.
All it would take is one lucky strike from the Iranians to escalate this on their terms. Don’t wait for disaster to strike—get our troops out & declare victory at home. Use the economic leverage we have to offer sanctions… — Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) September 17, 2026 IRGC Says It Struck Togo-Flagged Tanker Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported on Thursday that a tanker had been struck in the Strait of Hormuz, over 18 miles off the coast of Khasab, Oman. “The crew have been reported as safe.
No environmental impact has been confirmed at the time of this report,” the UKMTO said. The IRGC later said it had struck and detained a Togo-flagged tanker named Trend in the Strait of Hormuz. by Al Jazeera. However, the vessel was not independently identified in the UKMTO report.
S. and that Iran remains in control of the waterway. 59 at the time of writing this article. 64 during overnight trading on Thursday.
48% during overnight trading to $52. S. and Iran. 4386/gallon on Thursday.
3956/gallon. Read Also: Trump's Former Counterterrorism Chief Says Trump Can Declare 'Victory' Over Iran, Use Sanctions Relief to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Check out more of Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link. Photo courtesy: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock