The head of United States Central Command briefed President Donald Trump on Iran military options during a White House meeting on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing United States officials and sources familiar with the proceedings. Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, met the president as Washington weighs resuming major combat operations against Iran. The report states plainly that no final decision to strike has been made.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and additional Cabinet members also attended the meeting, the Journal reported. The gathering followed a White House meeting on Wednesday in which military officials met Vice President JD Vance, according to the report. Cooper rarely briefs Trump in person, the Journal noted, which is why the meeting is being read as a possible sign that Washington is moving closer to significant military operations.
A Pentagon spokesperson and a Central Command spokesperson both declined to comment when approached by the newspaper.
Iran military options and warnings to Gulf allies
United States officials have warned several Gulf Arab nations to be ready for a short, intense military campaign after November 3, two diplomats briefed on the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The midterm elections that will decide control of Congress take place on November 3, and the Journal has previously reported that officials told Arab Gulf states to prepare for action after the elections. The diplomats stressed that Trump has not made a final decision on whether to carry out new strikes, so the Iran military options briefing is preparation for a choice, not the choice itself.
Trump himself has said he is weighing new military action once the midterm elections are over. At a rally last week, he said: “We may do another little Epic Fury,” referring to the heavy bombing campaign by the United States and Israel earlier this year. “Or they’ll agree.” The remark, reported by The Associated Press, keeps the Iran military options question open, a renewed campaign or an agreement, and it does not amount to an order to strike.
Iran military options and the buildup in the region
Washington has increased air defenses, munitions and additional supplies across the Middle East in recent weeks, the Journal reported, while repositioning select troops away from installations considered vulnerable to potential Iranian retaliation. Earlier reports have described a third United States aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops heading to the region. The buildup would support a renewed campaign if one is ordered, and it also signals to Tehran while the Iran military options deliberation continues.
Iran has threatened publicly and through private diplomatic communications to strike a broad range of United States and Gulf state targets in the region if Washington launches another attack, according to the Journal. The United States has not carried out a strike against Iran since early September, The Associated Press reported.
Diplomacy runs alongside the Iran military options
The Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance had sent a letter to Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei at the direction of President Trump, with the move intended to restart negotiations and avert further United States strikes. Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Fars reported on Thursday that Tehran had received a letter from Vance but had yet to reply. According to the newspaper, the letter and subsequent contacts concentrated on establishing a possible framework for negotiations rather than defining precise terms, a diplomatic track running alongside the Iran military options briefing.
Mediators had alerted Iran to possible renewed airstrikes unless it accepted nuclear concessions, while Washington was said to be ready to ease some sanctions and end its naval blockade in exchange. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on Thursday that the United States’ “carrot-and-stick approach” would not influence Tehran, stressing that progress towards peace talks rested on the acceptance of Iran’s seven conditions, a position stated alongside the Iran military options deliberation.
These diplomatic efforts are unfolding during a war that began on February 28 with United States and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders. The war is now in its eighth month, with no ceasefire or peace deal in sight, according to The Associated Press.
A briefing on options is not the same as a decision to act, and the reporting to date describes a president weighing a choice, allies being warned to prepare, and a diplomatic letter sent in parallel, with the weeks after November 3 as the period to watch for what follows the Iran military options briefing.