President Donald Trump is quietly weighing whether to resume military action against Iran even as his administration continues nuclear negotiations with the regime, according to a new report.
Trump has recently held private discussions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine about the possibility of launching additional strikes against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported. The classified meetings reportedly focused on what some administration officials have described as “finishing the job.”
At the same time, Trump is said to be concerned that another major military operation could permanently derail negotiations aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.
According to the report, the president is willing to let talks continue beyond the current Aug. 18 deadline if meaningful progress is being made.
Trump has previously indicated he is satisfied with ordering limited strikes when Iran violates the ceasefire. That approach contributed to renewed fighting around the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, raising fresh concerns about the future of the negotiations.
Vice President JD Vance also offered insight into the administration’s thinking during an appearance on “The Michael Knowles Show” podcast, suggesting the immediate goal of the negotiations is tied to global energy markets.
“I think what the President has told us to do is use this MOU to sort of refill the world’s oil economy, to refill some stocks. And then to see where the hand is,” Vance said.
Vance said Trump is considering two paths forward: negotiating a long-term agreement that would require “a significant change in Iranian behavior,” or “banking our wins” following the previous U.S. strikes.
The vice president said the latter option could also involve “doing things on top of that if the president feels that we have to,” referring to the possibility of renewed military action.
The latest violence erupted after Iran launched a wave of one-way suicide drones at U.S.-backed cargo ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
“Violence will be met with violence…there were attacks on commercial vessels that the United States of America, directed by the President, responded to,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
As negotiations continue, U.S. officials are demanding that Iran abandon its nuclear program and surrender its stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iran, meanwhile, is seeking joint control over the Strait of Hormuz and wants the United States to release billions of dollars in frozen assets held in the Middle East.
Since the conflict began, Iran has demonstrated its ability to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz using speedboats, drones, and sea mines.
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