US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will decide shortly whether to restart military operations against Iran or push for a negotiated settlement, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after consulting his national security advisers. Asked about his intentions, he said he would rather avoid devastating the remainder of the country but might be forced to act, adding that the public would learn his choice before long, according to The National.
His remarks followed a round of meetings with his security team. Axios, citing two US officials, reported that it was the first time the president had sat down with his advisers since the midterm elections, and that the session formed part of his regular intelligence briefing. Fox News reported that the discussions took place at the White House on Wednesday and Thursday while US Central Command completes planning for a possible operation. No order to resume fighting has been given, Fox added, though officials are weighing what comes next.
Why it matters
The decision carries weight on several fronts at once. Washington had been expected by many in the region to renew strikes before Tuesday's midterms, and the Republican losses that followed have changed the political calculation in both capitals. Iran has treated the election result as vindication of its position, arguing that American voters turned against the war. The White House now has to choose between three broad paths: keeping up economic pressure, returning to military action, or striking a deal with a Tehran government that may feel it has gained leverage. Each option carries consequences for Gulf states, global energy routes and the wider region.
Tehran's conditions and a nuclear proposal
Diplomacy has not stopped. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate calls on Thursday with his counterparts from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. Qatari mediators spoke with both the White House and Tehran about a draft proposal, and a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran had passed a nuclear proposal to Washington through Qatar. That official said the document would be discussed only once Washington satisfies seven Iranian demands, and that the US is currently reviewing it without offering further comment.
Those demands were restated publicly by Mohsen Rezaei, a senior Iranian security figure who has become central to the negotiations. Speaking during a visit to Russia on Thursday, he said Tehran had laid out seven conditions to the Americans and that until they are carried out, Iran will neither reopen the Strait of Hormuz nor enter negotiations. The conditions include ending US sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets and receiving war reparations, The National reports. Washington has maintained that nuclear questions must be on the table in any opening round of talks.
Rezaei met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday. He said he carried a message to Putin from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and that the Russian president had expressed willingness to help bring the war to an end.
A political reckoning in Washington
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the electoral cost of the conflict in a lengthy post on X, saying Republican voters had backed Democrats out of frustration with the war, the cost of living and US support for Israel. The National reports that the Republican losses, and the recognition that the conflict had driven the Democratic surge, opened space for de-escalation and mediation.
Iran, for its part, has paired talk of victory with plainer threats of further escalation. Rather than assuming the US elections would produce a diplomatic opening, Iranian officials have signalled that they are bracing for more attacks.
Trump's phrasing on Thursday left the outcome open. He confirmed a decision is pending and declined to preview it, telling reporters they would find out soon enough. What to watch: whether US Central Command's planning translates into an order, and whether the Qatari channel produces a first round of talks before either side moves.
