President Trump on Wednesday said he had no update on possible US retaliation against Iran for an attack on Saudi Arabia — but warned that there was “plenty of time to do some dastardly things.”

“Nothing to report yet. We’ll probably be speaking to you tomorrow, maybe the next day. Nothing to report, but it hasn’t changed very much. I think my thinking pretty much remains the same,” he told reporters on an airport tarmac in Los Angeles during a fundraising trip to California.

Asked about criticism from his usually reliable ally Lindsey Graham, who had called his cancellation of a strike after Iran downed a US drone a sign of weakness, the president said it was actually the opposite before issuing his ominous warning.

“Actually I think it’s a sign of strength. We have the strongest military in the world now. I think it’s a great sign of strength. There’s plenty of time to do some dastardly things,” he said.

“It’s very easy to start,” he said about military action. “If we have to do something, we’ll do it without hesitation,” he said, adding that “the ultimate option” was still on the table.

“There are many options. There are many options. There’s the ultimate option and there are options a lot less than that. We’ll see. We’re in a very powerful position. Right now we’re in a very, very powerful position,” he continued.

Asked if the “ultimate option” was war, the commander-in-chief backtracked, saying he did mean war but wasn’t considering that option as of now.

“No, I’m not talking about that ultimate option, no,” he said.