President Donald Trump convened a meeting Friday with his senior advisors and American cabinet members to decide whether to escalate U.S. military strikes against Iran, according to the New York Times. The report adds that cabinet members participated, a detail not previously confirmed.
The New York Times reported Friday evening, around 21:24 Jerusalem, that President Donald Trump convened a meeting with his senior advisors and American cabinet members to decide whether to escalate U.S. military strikes against Iran. The report adds the detail that cabinet members participated, a point not confirmed in earlier accounts of the same meeting.
Earlier Friday evening, the same newspaper reported that Trump had convened senior advisors to discuss escalation, with a subsequent version describing the president as being in 'revenge mode' regarding Iran. A third version, published at the same time, added that U.S. intelligence agencies believe Mojtaba Khamenei is more open to nuclear weapon development than his father—a factor that may inform the administration's calculus. All three reports originated from the New York Times, with the thread evolving from a basic meeting confirmation to include the president's mindset and an intelligence assessment.
As The Zioneer has reported over the past weeks, the administration has been weighing multiple escalation options, including expanding strikes to Tehran, considering a massive attack, and even resuming full-scale war. The dual-track strategy of military pressure and diplomatic openness has been a consistent theme, with Trump recently stating he sees a possibility of a deal while also saying he is 'close to making a decision' on a massive attack.
It remains unclear what decision, if any, was reached during the meeting, or whether the inclusion of cabinet members signals a shift toward broader authorization. No timeline for further action has been reported.
5 developments
- DevelopingTrump Discusses Expanding Iran Strikes to Tehran, Weighs Strategic Bomber Attack, US Official Says
- StrongTrump leans toward expanding operations against Iran, ynet reports
- DevelopingTrump Examining How to Intensify Strikes on Iran, Source Tells i24NEWS
- StrongUS officials: Trump's expanded Iran strikes would be far more powerful, Israel likely to join
Source and signal
- Open-source intake