Trump Says US May Have to 'Destroy' Rest of Iran as Oil Set for Weekly Plunge

The US might not be finished with Iran. President Donald Trump warned that Washington may have to 'destroy' what remains of the country, saying he would prefer not to but might be forced to — and offering only a cryptic timeline. 'You'll know soon enough,' he said, in live updates published by Al Jazeera.

Democrats fired back fast. US Representative Yassamin Ansari of Arizona called the threat 'a crime against humanity,' saying Trump is again menacing 'the annihilation of a country of 90 million people.' She pressed her party to move urgently to end what she called his 'reckless war of choice' now that Democrats control the House and Senate — a sweep delivered by Tuesday's midterm elections.

Oil traders read the political shift as a step toward de-escalation. Brent crude futures for January climbed by $1.57 a barrel, trading at $99.86 as of 02:22 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate rose by $1.10 to reach $91.62, according to Reuters. Both contracts logged a second day of gains, yet the week still looks grim: Brent is heading for a 12 percent weekly fall and WTI for a 12.1 percent slide. Crude had already cratered 8 percent on Wednesday as the Democratic sweep sank in, settling at two-month lows. Middle East supply fears are the only thing holding the market up.

On Capitol Hill, Colorado Democrat Jason Crow told Al Jazeera his party should zero in on lowering living costs, restoring accountability and ending the war on Iran. He argued impeachment belongs in the toolbox for probing alleged corruption and misconduct — not as an end in itself. Crow also called for a major reset in the US relationship with Israel, pointing to civilian deaths in Gaza, and said Democrats should curb ICE enforcement while still securing the border and targeting violent criminals.

Tehran isn't conceding anything. Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian said the US-Israeli campaign flopped, claiming it shut down American bases in the region, pushed global prices higher and weakened Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu politically. He called Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz a strategic edge that turned the country into a 'global superpower.' Basij commander Hossein Taeb piled on, saying change has 'begun in America and Israel.' Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi phoned UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who stressed the need for de-escalation, per WAM — one of several calls with Saudi, Omani and Qatari officials as fears of a US strike grow.

Other fronts stayed hot. Israeli settlers torched olive trees owned by Palestinian farmers in Burqa near Ramallah, with farmers saying Israeli forces stopped them from dousing the flames. Amnesty International's Erika Guevara Rosas demanded the immediate release of Palestinian land defender Ghassan Najjar, a farmer seized in a pre-dawn raid on Burin on October 27. The UN wants an investigation into the death of its Human Rights Office employee Mohammad el-Shami in Houthi custody — held since June 2024, and the second UN staffer to die in Houthi detention. Yemen's government forces, meanwhile, said they have carried out nearly 1,300 operations under Operation Dawn of Yemen, neutralizing 440 Houthi fighters and destroying or disabling 132 vehicles, armored units and heavy weapons.