Trump Says He Is Weighing a 'Massive' New Attack on Iran: 'They Haven't Received Enough Pain Yet'

President Trump met with senior advisers and Cabinet members on July 24, 2026 to decide whether to escalate the air campaign against Iran, according to The New York Times. He told reporters, "Look, we're locked and loaded. We're ready to go, but we're talking to them." In an Axios interview published July 23 he said he was weighing a "massive attack," "bigger than ever before," and said of Iran's leadership, "They haven't received enough pain yet." No strikes were reported in either direction that night, ending 13 consecutive nights of exchanges.

The question is whether to widen a conflict Congress has twice voted to constrain, most recently in a 214-208 House vote on July 23 directing the president to end the war or seek explicit authorization. Deliberations held privately leave the scope of any expansion outside legislative review at the point it is set.

The White House has not said what was decided. Two regional sources told Axios that Iranian leadership had not accepted the latest proposal.