President Trump considered abandoning nuclear negotiations and resuming full-scale strikes on Iran, holding recent calls with Defense Secretary Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Caine to discuss 'finishing the job,' but decided to stick with the diplomatic track for now, according to American officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials, that President Trump has weighed a return to full-scale war with Iran. In recent days, Trump held discussions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine about renewing large-scale strikes — a step some officials described as 'finishing the job.' However, Trump told aides he believes another all-out attack could undermine Washington's chance to ultimately dismantle Iran's nuclear program, and for now he prefers to continue diplomacy. The report adds that Trump said he has 'no problem' with talks extending beyond the August 18 deadline, and that he is satisfied for now with a policy of pinpoint strikes whenever Iran violates the memorandum of understanding. As The Zioneer reported earlier this morning, this is the second WSJ report this week indicating Trump has considered a military option while keeping the diplomatic channel open for now.
9 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
- StrongTrump Says US Military on Alert Regarding Iran
- DevelopingReport: Trump Considers Striking Iran if US Soldiers Killed
Source and signal
- Internal intake