Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, briefed President Donald Trump Thursday on possible military options regarding Iran, a person close to the president told ABC News. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president’s top military adviser, also attended, a second person familiar with the discussion said.
The briefing coincided with indirect talks in Geneva between U.S. and Iranian officials on Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Neither side announced a deal; Iran’s foreign minister said progress was made and that “technical talks” will resume in Vienna next week.
Several Republicans and some Trump officials have privately suggested in recent days that Israel should take the lead in striking Iran rather than the U.S. initiating hostilities, two people familiar with the discussions told ABC News. It was unclear Thursday whether Trump had accepted that approach. The president has grown increasingly frustrated with Iran’s refusal to meet his demands to stop uranium enrichment and cap its ballistic missile program.
Politico first reported that some senior advisers and Republicans were advocating for Israel to strike first. Sources say a joint U.S.-Israeli operation remains possible as the U.S. has moved a significant number of ships and fighter jets into the region, all within striking distance of Iran.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said, “The media may continue to speculate on the President’s thinking all they want, but only President Trump knows what he may or may not do.”
Analysts said proposals for Israel to deliver the initial blow may be intended to give political cover to Republicans in Congress facing a tough election year; Trump campaigned on ending wars, not starting them. If Israel were to strike and Iran retaliated, Trump could justify U.S. intervention as defending Israel, consistent with long-standing U.S. policy. But ABC News contributor Ramesh Ponnuru warned the plan could backfire if it’s perceived across the Middle East as an “Israeli-backed coup.”
“If it becomes an involved campaign and we take casualties, then you get some political risks,” Ponnuru said. “I think it’s important for President Trump to articulate the strategy and mission in Iran. But before that, he has to have a clear strategy and mission, and I don’t know that he has settled on that yet.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed a small group of top lawmakers on Iran this week, though details of the classified briefing were not made public. Democrats who attended said they appreciated being consulted, which they said had not always occurred before major foreign-policy actions. Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the situation “an extraordinary, serious time” for the Middle East and for the U.S.
Sources told ABC News that Trump’s military options range from a limited strike against ballistic missile launchers and nuclear sites as a warning to Tehran, to a major operation striking many targets over a sustained period. An opening salvo led by Israel could serve both as coercion in diplomacy and to degrade Iran’s air defenses, potentially setting conditions for a broader campaign aimed at toppling the regime, officials said.
Analysts cautioned such a campaign could last weeks, carry high risks, and offers no guarantee of producing a government favorable to U.S. interests. A key concern is the danger to the roughly 35,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops stationed in the region, who Iran might target in retaliation.
Rubio told reporters that Iran is trying to rebuild its nuclear program after it was struck by the U.S. last June. “You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it. They’re not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can,” he said, adding that Iran is on a “pathway” to acquire ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States.
