Axios: Trump weighs expanding US military operation against Iran

US President Donald Trump has discussed expanding military operations against Iran in an effort to pressure Tehran into meeting Washington’s demands, Axios reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the publication, Trump convened a meeting in the White House Situation Room on July 14 to review options for a military campaign that would be “wider in scope” than the strikes currently being carried out by US forces in the Strait of Hormuz area.

“Trump appears willing to escalate the war to cause enough damage that the Iranian regime will open the Strait of Hormuz and accept Trump's nuclear demands,” Axios noted.

The meeting was attended by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and other senior officials, the sources said.

Participants discussed the possibility of launching “devastating strikes on strategic targets in Iran” in addition to ongoing attacks against Iranian-linked targets in the Strait of Hormuz.

In an interview with Fox News ahead of the Situation Room meeting, Trump said the strikes against Iran would expand in the coming days.

He added that the US military would hit Iran "hard" over the next three days, while warning that the campaign could escalate significantly beyond that timeframe.

By Jeyhun Aghazada