President Trump held calls with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine about a return to full-scale strikes on Iran, but decided to stick with diplomatic talks for now, according to U.S. officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. Trump told aides he believes another full-scale round could harm Washington's chances of dismantling Iran's nuclear program; no final decision has been made.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President Donald Trump weighed resuming full-scale military strikes on Iran, holding several recent calls with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine. U.S. officials familiar with the matter told the WSJ that the conversations focused on whether to abandon negotiations and launch a renewed full-scale campaign — a step some aides described as 'finishing the job.'
Trump ultimately decided to remain in the diplomatic track for now, believing that another full-scale round could jeopardize Washington's prospects of ultimately dismantling Iran's nuclear program. No final decision has been made, officials said.
The report, which builds on earlier reports by i24NEWS and N12 that The Zioneer covered (the latest at 02:57 Jerusalem), adds new detail about the internal debate within the administration. It also provides on-record sourcing through U.S. officials. The level of corroboration and specificity is higher than earlier anonymous reports, though Trump's final decision remains in flux.
4 developments
- ConfirmedTrump discussed a short but extensive military operation in Iran, the White House weighs short-duration campaign
- DevelopingTrump tells NYT he will 'renew military attacks' on Iran if nuclear talks falter
- DevelopingWSJ: Trump initially opposed Iran strike, was swayed by defense chiefs after helicopter downing
- DevelopingHegseth says US will keep large forces in region, reinstate Iran siege if commitments unmet
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake