President Donald Trump is weighing military options against Iran, with a final decision on potential airstrikes hinging on the assessment of his special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, regarding Tehran’s willingness to negotiate a deal limiting its nuclear capabilities. The administration anticipates receiving Iran’s latest proposal this week, ahead of scheduled last-ditch negotiations in Geneva on Thursday.
According to sources familiar with the matter, if Kushner and Witkoff determine Iran is stalling, Trump is prepared to authorize either limited airstrikes intended to pressure Tehran or a larger-scale military campaign aimed at regime change. Trump received briefings on military options as recently as Wednesday in the White House Situation Room, and has sought input from a wide range of advisors.
Key figures involved in the deliberations include Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Vance has reportedly presented arguments for and against airstrikes, while pressing Gen. Caine on the potential risks, particularly in light of past operations.
Concerns within the Pentagon center on the limited stockpile of anti-missile systems. A previous bombing of Iranian nuclear enrichment sites last year resulted in the largest single apply of Patriot missiles in U.S. History – 30 missiles were fired to intercept Iranian counterattacks. Iranian officials have vowed a stronger response to any future U.S. Attack, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning of the capability to sink a U.S. Warship.
Gen. Caine has reportedly expressed greater caution in private discussions within the Pentagon than during briefings with President Trump, a behavior some officials speculate is intended to avoid appearing to advocate for a specific course of action. The White House, in a statement released through spokesperson Anna Kelly, affirmed Caine’s role in providing “unbiased information” to the Commander in Chief.
Beyond the question of military effectiveness, administration officials are also exploring potential diplomatic off-ramps. One idea under discussion involves allowing Iran to maintain limited nuclear enrichment capabilities for strictly civilian purposes, such as medical research and energy production.
Secretary of State Rubio is scheduled to travel to Israel on February 28th to update Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the status of negotiations. Meanwhile, positions appear to be hardening ahead of the Geneva talks. Steve Witkoff stated on Fox News Sunday that Trump’s directive is for Iran to have zero nuclear enrichment capability, a position countered by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who asserted on CBS’s Face the Nation that Tehran is not prepared to relinquish enrichment entirely.
The U.S. Military has been bolstering its presence in the Middle East in preparation for potential military action, amassing its largest concentration of air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The USS Gerald Ford, the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, is en route to the region and expected to arrive within days, joining other aircraft carriers and a significant deployment of F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, bombers, and refueling aircraft. This buildup would provide the capacity for a sustained air campaign, unlike last summer’s operation which involved B-2 bombers targeting a limited number of enrichment sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.
