Senior officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration held a secret meeting at the presidential retreat at Camp David to discuss developments related to the war with Iran and the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement in Yemen, according to Axios, citing informed sources.
Axios said US Vice President JD Vance chaired the meeting, which was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine.
One official told Axios, referring to the regional crisis, that “decisions were made, or at the very least there were in-depth discussions” about the next steps.
Trump Threatens Iran With a Major Strike
The Camp David meeting came after Trump threatened Iran with a “very powerful strike” if Tehran is found to have been involved in the emergency landing of a Flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv last Wednesday.
Asked how the United States might respond if Iran’s responsibility were established, Trump said the Iranians “will be hit very hard”.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he believed Iran was involved in the incident, although he stopped short of presenting a final conclusion.
“I would say the answer is yes, based on what I’m hearing, but we’re working on that at this very moment,” he said.
In later remarks, Trump described Iran as being “in a difficult position” and said the country was not doing well. He also said he expected the war to end soon and oil prices to return to pre-war levels, possibly falling even further.
Trump also said Europe holds large diesel reserves and that European countries, together with the United States, would make a substantial contribution to the global market.
In an interview with Time magazine published last Thursday, Trump raised the possibility of intensifying attacks on Iran after the US midterm elections scheduled for early November.
At the same time, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Defence plans to send an aircraft carrier and additional ships to the region as part of military reinforcements involving between 9,000 and 10,000 personnel.
The forces are expected to arrive by the end of November.
