Trump Says Decision Time Nears on Iran: Deal or ‘Finish It Off’

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said it's "getting to be decision time" on whether he will make a deal with Tehran or resume attacks as Iranian and Houthi threats against Americans in the Middle East continue to grow.

"I have a decision to make: Do I finish it off, which would be very easy to do, or do I make a deal? That's all," Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. "We don't play games."

Trump has suggested that US strikes on Iran could resume after the Nov. 3 midterm elections and he has sent additional forces, including a third aircraft carrier group, toward the Persian Gulf.

Officials warn the period between the election and the new Congress taking office could be particularly dangerous, with a negotiated deal seen as the most likely way to end the conflict.

The US is reducing diplomatic and military staffing in parts of the Middle East amid growing threats from Iran and the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.

The State Department had initially acknowledged departures only from Saudi Arabia, but an American official told Bloomberg News Friday that staffing changes are taking place more broadly as Iran intensifies attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz.