Trump met with advisers on Iran options, sources say

President Donald Trump is considering a range of options to dramatically escalate American military strikes on Iran, two senior administration officials told ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl on Thursday.

The officials said that among options the president is considering is a return the level of full-scale attacks seen during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury -- and possible even more so.

The officials point to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's comments earlier Thursday, in which he said Iran would pay a disproportionate price for their actions -- far beyond "an eye for an eye," referencing remarks he said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made recently.

"The president's policy is a head for an eye. I mean, honestly, that's what it's going to be. I mean, they will pay a very heavy price," Rubio said Thursday morning at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines.

U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces have redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas since resuming the naval blockade nine days ago.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Thursday that the situation in the Middle East is "getting out of control."

Addressing the United Nations Security Council in New York, the Secretary-General said the situation is "teetering on the edge of the unimaginable."

"The region is being pulled into an ever-widening circle of confrontation. One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next," he added.

Guterres called for international rights and freedoms around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb to be "fully restored," stressing "there is no military solution to the conflict."

"Diplomacy is the only way forward," Guterres said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the Fairford Air Base in England is now a "legitimate target," since the base has been used to fly B1 aircrafts on Wednesday, according to the Islamic Republic state media.

"The US aggressor army, which used to launch cruise missiles from its ships in the Indian Ocean in its aggressions after the official resumption of the war, turned to using B1 aircraft flying from the Fairford Air Base in England [on Wednesday], as the missile reserves of the aforementioned ships ran out," the statement reads.

"As the Foreign Ministry officials also stated, any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target," the IRGC added.

RAF Fairford is located 82 miles north west of London.

A U.K. government spokesperson told ABC News in a statement that its Armed Forces are "ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it's on our soil or from abroad."

“This includes through operating a layered approach to air and missile defence, provided by Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force assets equipped with a range of advanced capabilities, working closely with our NATO allies," the U.K. said.

“The UK's approach to the conflict remains the same - we are committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict," the U.K. said.