Trump says he may have to destroy rest of Iran despite preferring not to

President Donald Trump said he would rather not destroy what remains of Iran but may have to, softening his tone after his Republican Party's midterm defeat, and indicated a final decision on the war is imminent. Addressing reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said rebuilding Iran would take 25 years and framed the choice as whether to go further and "certify" the outcome permanently. He previously threatened to destroy remaining infrastructure and ruled out attacks before the November 3 elections. The ongoing war has raised fuel costs and hurt public approval ratings for the administration. Trump also asserted Iran cannot act on its nuclear program without US approval, responding to mediator proposals on the issue.