Trump is considering military options regarding Iran, but no decision has been made, according to Axios
On Monday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump held a closed-door meeting on the situation with Iran, during which he was briefed on possible military scenarios. However, according to sources, no final decision on U.S. strikes has been made yet.
This was reported by Axios.
The meeting took place a few hours after Trump announced a temporary suspension of possible attacks, which, according to him, could have been carried out as early as Tuesday.
According to sources, the U.S. administration continues to consider both military and diplomatic scenarios in response to Iran’s actions.
Trump stated that Iran has very limited time to make progress in the negotiations.
“The deadline is two or three days, maybe Friday or Saturday, early next week,” he said.
According to U.S. officials, the U.S. president had not approved a military operation prior to announcing the pause.
The decision to pause, sources say, is partly linked to concerns among Gulf countries about possible Iranian retaliatory strikes on oil infrastructure.
Leaders of countries in the region have called on the White House to give diplomacy another chance. Washington also acknowledges that the situation remains unstable, and Trump’s position may change depending on the course of negotiations.
At the same time, senior officials note that Iran’s latest proposals have not demonstrated significant progress.
The meeting was attended by Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hagset, as well as representatives from the Pentagon, the CIA, and other key advisors.
According to sources, there are differences of opinion within the White House regarding next steps. Some advisors advocate a hard line, while others favor continuing negotiations.
A source close to the process stated that some proponents of a hardline approach got the impression that the president is “determined to put maximum pressure on Iran to speed up a deal.”
At the same time, other officials acknowledge that the U.S.’s final course of action remains uncertain, and a potential decision to launch strikes could be postponed again in the event of diplomatic progress.
The United States suffered significant losses of aircraft and drones during the “Epic Fury” military operation in the Middle East. In total, the Pentagon lost or damaged at least 42 pieces of advanced equipment.
The United States has concluded Operation Epic Fury, an offensive operation against Iran that began in February. Washington is now transitioning to the defensive mission “Project Freedom,” whose primary goal is to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States will not allow Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced his intention to hold talks with the Iranian president. The French leader has not yet disclosed any details of the upcoming negotiations.
