Trump weighs Iran escalation while open to talks

President Donald Trump said in a Sept. 20 interview that he is deciding whether to escalate the U.S. war on Iran, stating he is weighing when to "blow the entire nation up" while also expressing openness to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Trump told Fox News that "very big things" will happen in the conflict without elaborating, and he raised the possibility of meeting Pezeshkian during the UN General Assembly this week. Iran's military warned that any new attack would trigger sustained retaliation against U.S. bases and interests. The threats come as Yemen's Houthi group struck Riyadh, and with Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz, oil exports are nearly cut off, driving diesel prices to record highs above $6.50 per gallon. The war has cost the U.S. military at least $43.6 billion, with 18 Americans killed.