President Trump discussed resuming full-scale military operations against Iran with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, according to the Wall Street Journal citing US officials. Trump has not made a final decision and currently prefers to continue the diplomatic track and precision strikes for violations, sources said.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President Trump held discussions in recent days with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the possibility of returning to full-scale war with Iran. The conversations centered on whether the United States should abandon negotiations with Tehran and resume large-scale strikes — a step some officials described as "finishing the job," according to American sources familiar with the matter.
As The Zioneer reported at 03:42, Trump initially weighed the option of full-scale strikes but told aides he believed another round of heavy attacks could undermine Washington's ability to ultimately dismantle Iran's nuclear program. Sources said Trump has not made a final decision and currently prefers to stick with the diplomatic channel and precision strikes in response to Iranian violations, even if talks extend beyond the August 18 deadline (60 days). Trump added that he is currently satisfied with the policy of targeted strikes whenever Iran violates the memorandum of understanding.
The report was initially published by the Wall Street Journal and circulated by Israeli news outlets including N12 and i24NEWS. Administration officials acknowledged that resuming a full-scale conflict would effectively be an admission that the Iran deal had failed. The report follows a series of earlier WSJ dispatches and analyses on the evolving U.S.-Iran standoff, which The Zioneer has covered throughout the week.
11 developments
- StrongDefense Minister Katz speaks with US counterpart Hegseth
- DevelopingTrump says he held phone conversations with Iranian officials
- StrongTrump expected to meet Pentagon, defense industry leaders Wednesday on post-Iran-war arms production
- DevelopingTrump reportedly agrees to private meeting with Khamenei at Iran's request
Source and signal
- Internal intake