Trump: decision coming on whether to go further in Iran — "maybe I'll have to" destroy the rest

President Donald Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office that the United States will soon decide whether to escalate further against Iran, warning he may have to destroy more of the country to "certify" that the threat never returns, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted from the remarks.

"Now we will make a decision [on Iran]. Do we want to go further…and certify it...so that it will never happen again. I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You will know soon enough," Trump told reporters.

Trump also said Iran could face roughly 25 years of reconstruction, called the U.S. position "virtually an occupation" of what Washington wants to control, and said the U.S. is "locked and loaded" if it has to "do the rest of the Iran thing," according to pool reports carried by Iran International and others. The comments came as military leaders were reported at the White House and as Iraq's prime minister separately told Trump that Iraqi territory must not be used to attack neighbors.