Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, briefed President Donald Trump today (Thursday) on military options for action against Iran. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the unusual White House meeting came as the administration weighs whether to resume large-scale military operations against Tehran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain also attended the meeting. According to sources familiar with the details, other cabinet members were present and additional topics were discussed. The meeting came a day after another White House session where senior military officials met with Vice President J.D. Vance.
The unusual meeting takes on significance against the backdrop of earlier reports from the newspaper that senior Trump administration officials warned Gulf Arab states to prepare for a short, intense military campaign after the midterm elections. At the same time, Vance has been conducting outreach to one of Iran’s hardline senior officials in an attempt to revive peace talks.
Trump himself addressed the possibility of renewed strikes last week. At a rally he said: “Maybe we’ll do a little more ‘wrath of God’—or they’ll agree.” He was referring to the massive U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign last spring. Cooper doesn’t typically brief the president in person frequently, so the very fact of the meeting may indicate the U.S. is moving closer to a decision on significant military action. The last time Cooper met with Trump was in July, when the two held a discussion with Hegseth and Cain aboard Air Force One in Delaware. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the report.
The White House discussions are taking place as some members of Congress express concern about renewed fighting with Iran. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who said he has received briefings on some of the classified plans, called them “insane.” He said another strike could lead to devastating escalation and damage U.S. commitment to the rule of law.
Tehran is also signaling that an American strike would trigger a response. According to the report, Iran has threatened publicly and in secret diplomatic messages to strike a wide range of American targets and targets in Gulf states. Meanwhile, Iran has resumed production of ballistic missiles using components stored in advance in underground facilities, and has stepped up efforts to target American military personnel in the Middle East.
Against the backdrop of escalation fears, the Pentagon has been preparing in recent weeks for the possibility of another air campaign. As part of the preparations, air defense systems, ammunition and additional supplies have been sent to the Middle East, and some American forces have been moved from bases considered more exposed to attack. According to the report, the military preparations and high-level discussions are taking place as the Trump administration weighs the option of resuming fighting after the midterm elections, while diplomatic efforts with Iran have yet to ripen into an agreement.