“It is advantageous to attack Iran on the 9th without moonlight”... Trump meets with national security team at White House

(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Na-ri Baek = Fox News reported on the 6th that U.S. President Donald Trump discussed whether to resume attacks on Iran with his national security team on the 5th (local time).

Fox News, citing multiple high-ranking U.S. officials, reported that President Trump had a meeting with his security team on the 5th, two days after the midterm elections, to discuss responses to Iran.

These officials reported that the White House meeting was held on the 4th and 5th. It is unclear whether President Trump also attended the meeting on the 4th.

Fox News reported that these officials also said that the crescent moon will rise in the Middle East on the 9th and there will be little moonlight, which is advantageous for military operations.

It is possible that the plan to resume surprise air strikes against Iran on the 9th was discussed at a meeting between President Trump and the security team.

U.S. online media Axios also reported that President Trump held a meeting with top security advisers the day before for the first time since the midterm elections.

President Trump told reporters at the White House the day before that he must decide whether to resume attacks on Iran or reach an agreement, saying, "I don't want to destroy what's left of Iran if possible, but I may have to do that. We'll find out soon."

As the Republican Party suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections on the 3rd, some are speculating that President Trump may resume attacking Iran.

Even before the midterm elections, President Trump had repeatedly pressured Iran to reach an agreement, saying he would make a decision between an agreement and a resumption of attacks.

Even if President Trump resumes attacks on Iran, a large-scale escalation of war will still be burdensome, so the possibility of a concentrated attack in a short period of time is being weighed.

However, President Trump's dilemma is that it is still unclear whether Iran will make significant concessions. For this reason, there are predictions that President Trump may finish the attack by concentrating strikes on a few key areas where the results of the air strike can be maximized.

As his domestic position is weakened and he is on the defensive politically due to his crushing defeat in the midterm elections, concerns are growing that President Trump may take strong measures in the areas of foreign affairs, security or trade to divert attention.

The day before, President Trump pressured foreign companies to invest, saying that they could be subject to tariffs of up to 300% if they do not build factories in the United States. There is a high possibility that 300% is President Trump's characteristic exaggerated speech, but it confirms his will to push ahead with tariff policy regardless of his election defeat.