The top US military commander in the Middle East held a rare in-person briefing with US president Donald Trump on Thursday to discuss the state of the Iran war, including the effectiveness of Washington’s naval blockade and military options for a possible resumption of major combat operations, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and Axios.Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), met Trump at the White House alongside defence secretary Pete Hegseth, joint chiefs chairman General Dan Caine and other senior officials. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and White House envoy Steve Witkoff also attended, Axios reported, citing two US officials.Cooper briefed Trump on whether the naval blockade was achieving its objectives, the operation to guide oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz towards global energy markets, and the economic pressure campaign being conducted by the military in coordination with the Treasury Department, according to Axios. WSJ separately reported that the meeting covered military options for Iran and came as Washington weighs resuming major combat operations.The rare in-person briefing comes as Trump pursues two tracks: trying to revive negotiations with Tehran while preparing for the possibility of renewed strikes after the US midterm elections. WSJ has reported that US officials have told Arab Gulf states to prepare for a short, intense campaign after the elections.Trump hinted at the possibility of renewed military action last week. “We may do another little Epic Fury,” he said at a rally, referring to the US-Israeli bombing campaign in the spring. “Or they’ll agree.”
Diplomacy continues amid military preparations
Regional mediators led by Qatar are trying to prevent a resumption of hostilities after the midterms and steer Washington and Tehran back towards negotiations. “The mediation is at a very sensitive stage,” a regional source told Axios.Qatari mediators recently delivered a letter from vice-president JD Vance to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, proposing a restart of negotiations while stressing that any talks would have to address Iran’s nuclear programme, Axios reported. The Journal has also reported that Vance engaged the Iranian hard-liner in an effort to revive peace negotiations.Trump and Vance met on Wednesday to discuss a possible gesture of goodwill towards Iran, such as sending humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, according to a source cited by Axios. Trump later publicly backed the idea. He has denied directing Vance to initiate peace talks, saying the contact concerned medical supplies.US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said Thursday that Washington and Tehran were “very close” to an agreement to de-escalate tensions. “I think we’re very close to finally getting to a place where we can say, ‘Let’s just have a timeout,’” Barrack told CNN, while cautioning that a comprehensive solution would not come immediately.Iran, however, has continued to demand that Washington lift the blockade, release frozen Iranian funds and allow Tehran to sell oil before nuclear negotiations resume.
Pentagon strengthens regional defences
The Pentagon has laid the groundwork for a possible renewed bombing campaign in recent weeks, deploying additional air defences, munitions and supplies to the Middle East and moving some troops away from bases considered vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.The US Army is also moving an additional Patriot air-defence battery to Israel amid concerns about a shortage of missile interceptors and efforts to replenish supplies.Iran has threatened to strike a broad range of US and Gulf targets in response to any American attack. Tehran has also resumed producing ballistic missiles using stockpiled components in underground facilities and stepped up efforts to target US personnel in the region.The prospect of renewed hostilities has alarmed some US lawmakers. Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who said he had been briefed on aspects of the classified military planning, called the plans “insane”.