US President Donald Trump “has considered resuming large-scale military action” against Iran in recent days but “has decided to continue diplomatic efforts for now,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials familiar with the discussions.
According to the WSJ report, Trump held multiple discussions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine on options ranging from renewed full-scale strikes to staying the course with negotiations.
The president has told aides “he believes another major military campaign could derail efforts to reach a deal that would dismantle Iran’s nuclear program,” WSJ reported.
Trump has reviewed military plans for renewed large-scale strikes on Iran but is choosing to continue nuclear negotiations for now, according to U.S. officials.
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He believes restarting the war could derail diplomacy and is willing to let talks continue beyond the Aug. 18 target… pic.twitter.com/4KIhTjABY9
He is also willing to let negotiations extend beyond the current August 18 deadline if talks continue to make progress, the report said.
Trump “has instead favored limited retaliatory strikes when Iran breaches the recently agreed memorandum of understanding, rather than returning to an all-out military campaign.”
US officials told the Journal that the administration “still views military action as an option should diplomacy fail.”
The report said US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Doha for another round of indirect talks with Iranian officials, while technical teams from both sides were also expected to continue negotiations through mediators.
Source: Agencies