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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has held a series of meetings with senior national security officials to review US policy towards Iran, including whether Washington should continue negotiations with Tehran or resume broader military strikes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Trump has been briefed on options for a possible return to broader military confrontation with Iran but has, for now, chosen to continue diplomatic negotiations, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal citing US officials familiar with internal deliberations.
The Journal said the discussions involved Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, as officials assessed whether the United States should abandon talks with Tehran and resume full-scale military strikes. Some officials involved in the deliberations reportedly described the harder option internally as “finishing the job”.
While the deliberations reflect renewed debate within the administration over escalation, the report said Trump has not made a final decision and has instead leaned toward maintaining the diplomatic track, arguing that large-scale military action could disrupt fragile negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.
