Iran Warns of New Weapons and Geographic War Expansion as Trump Weighs Next Move

Escalating Military Rhetoric

A spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened Sunday to respond to any new U.S. assault with unspecified new weapons and an expansion of "the geography" of the nearly seven-month war. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said Tehran would change both its weaponry and targets in response to renewed U.S. military action, claiming "We will introduce new weapons with new capabilities into the battle, and the world will be astonished."

Trump's Decision-Making Phase

President Trump told Fox News on Sunday that he's in "deciding mode" as he considers options including "wiping Iran out," "letting them rot economically," or trying again to strike a deal to end the war. Trump has threatened to destroy Iran's economy or eliminate its leadership if Tehran doesn't strike a deal. He said he'd "probably" be open to meeting his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week.

Economic Pressure Campaign

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that Iranian airlines will effectively be shut down beginning Wednesday under the threat of U.S. secondary sanctions, warning that air service providers could be cut off from the U.S. dollar system if they provide services to Iranian airlines. Iranian officials are expected to meet country leaders in New York this week.

Regional Tension

U.S. embassies across the Middle East issued security alerts Sunday as fighting between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-backed coalition intensified. A simultaneous exchange of threats between Washington and Tehran raised fears of a return to all-out hostilities in the Iran war ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.