The commander of US Central Command, Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, met with President Donald Trump on Thursday to outline possible military courses of action involving Iran, according to a person close to the president cited by ABC News.
Also present at the meeting was General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president’s senior military adviser, a second individual familiar with the conversation told ABC News.
The briefing coincided with indirect negotiations in Geneva between American and Iranian representatives over Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities. While no agreement was announced at the conclusion of the talks, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said progress had been made and indicated that “technical talks” would resume in Vienna, Austria, next week.
Despite the ongoing diplomatic channel, Trump has continued to signal that military action remains an option and has reinforced the US force posture in the Middle East.
In recent days, several Republican lawmakers and members of the administration have privately argued that Israel, rather than the United States, should spearhead any strike on Iran if diplomacy fails, according to two people familiar with those internal discussions.
It was not clear as of Thursday whether Trump had endorsed that approach. The president has reportedly grown increasingly dissatisfied with Tehran’s refusal to stop enriching uranium and curb its ballistic missile development.
ABC News reported that Trump typically weighs a broad range of viewpoints before reaching a final decision. Politico first disclosed that some senior advisers and Republican figures have pushed for Israel to assume the lead role in any military action.
At the same time, sources say a coordinated US-Israeli operation remains under consideration. The United States has deployed substantial naval and air assets to the region, placing ships and combat aircraft within operational range of Iranian targets.
“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,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said, reiterating a line she has used repeatedly in recent weeks when asked about the administration’s plans regarding Iran.
