President Donald Trump sat through detailed military briefings from US Central Command and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlining options for a full-scale conflict with Iran. He chose the other door.
Instead of greenlighting escalation, Trump pushed for a diplomatic resolution that culminated in the Islamabad Memorandum, signed around June 17, 2026. The agreement extends ceasefires between the US and Iran and establishes a framework for nuclear inspections.
What the war plans actually looked like
The briefings Trump received weren’t hypothetical sketches on a napkin. CENTCOM presented operational military options amid an already active campaign, including Operation “Epic Fury,” which was underway as tensions peaked in mid-2026.
The core objectives were twofold: reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for global oil shipments, and curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
