Trump briefed on all-out Iran war options, but chooses talks (AP)
US President Donald Trump has considered resuming large-scale military strikes against Iran in recent days but has decided, for now, to continue diplomatic negotiations, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing US officials familiar with the discussions.According to the report, Trump held multiple conversations with defense secretary Pete Hegseth and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Dan Caine about whether the United States should abandon nuclear talks with Tehran and return to full-scale military action.The discussions reportedly focused on whether Washington should “finish the job” by launching another round of attacks on Iran. However, officials said Trump believes renewed military operations at this stage could derail ongoing negotiations and reduce the chances of securing an agreement to dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme.The report also said Trump has told aides he is willing to let negotiations continue beyond the current August 18 deadline for reaching a nuclear deal, giving diplomacy more time despite the slow pace of talks.While ruling out a broader military campaign for now, Trump is said to support limited retaliatory strikes if Iran violates the existing understanding between the two sides. The stance follows a recent exchange of attacks that briefly threatened a fragile ceasefire reached earlier this month. “They’re agreeing to everything that I want, and they have to,” Trump told reporters last week. “Otherwise, we just go back and do what we have to do.”US Vice President JD Vance echoed that position in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, saying the administration would continue negotiations but retained “a lot of optionality” should diplomacy fail.Meanwhile, Trump’s Middle East envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Doha for another round of indirect negotiations with Iranian representatives through Qatari mediators, the report said.The negotiations remain deadlocked over several issues, including Iran’s demand to impose service fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and disagreements over restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear programme.The report said senior Pentagon officials have continued presenting Trump with military options should diplomacy break down. However, the president has repeatedly held back from authorising another full-scale offensive since agreeing to a ceasefire earlier this year, despite previously warning of severe military consequences if Iran targeted US forces.However, Iran on Tuesday said it would not meet with top US envoys who had travelled to the region following the recent outbreak of hostilities, casting fresh doubt over the prospects for a lasting peace between the two countries, news agency Reuters reported.Iranian officials also said both sides must first resolve the terms of the ceasefire signed two weeks ago before addressing more contentious issues, including possible restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
