WSJ: US president seeks quick, decisive military options to pressure Tehran

US President Donald Trump has instructed his advisers to present swift and decisive military options against Iran that would avoid dragging Washington into a prolonged conflict in the Middle East, officials familiar with the discussions told The Wall Street Journal.

The preferred scenario, they said, would involve striking the Iranian regime with sufficient force to compel it to comply with US nuclear demands and halt the suppression of anti-government protesters.

Among the possibilities under consideration is a severe bombing campaign aimed at destabilising and potentially toppling Iran’s government. Trump and his team have also explored using the threat of military force as leverage to secure diplomatic concessions from Tehran.

Officials stressed that Trump’s final decision will shape the scale and nature of any operation. “The kind of things you’d want to do and the force packages you would need are very different,” said retired Vice Adm. Robert Murrett, a former Navy intelligence officer.

A senior administration official noted that while Trump has consistently maintained that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, he has deliberately kept his broader strategy vague to conceal his objectives and military planning.

Commenting on the growing US naval presence in the region, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday: “They have to float someplace. They might as well float near Iran.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the same day that Tehran remained open to nuclear negotiations but insisted the US must first stop issuing military threats.

During his second term, Trump has authorised military strikes in Yemen, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Somalia, and Nigeria, often without delivering formal Oval Office addresses or seeking approval from Congress.

Trump’s renewed confrontation with Tehran began earlier this month when he pledged support for anti-government protesters in Tehran and other cities. At that time, US forces in the region were insufficient to sustain a major bombing campaign or defend American bases and allies from likely Iranian retaliation. Facing limited options, Trump abruptly ruled out military action.

Since then, additional forces have been deployed.

“We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now. And it would be great if we didn’t have to use them,” Trump said on January 29, adding that he had conveyed clear demands to Tehran.

“I told them two things: Number one, no nuclear; and number two, stop killing protesters,” the president said.

Trump has been briefed on multiple strike scenarios jointly prepared by the White House and the Pentagon. One option, referred to by officials as the “big plan,” would involve large-scale airstrikes targeting Iranian regime facilities and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Other, more limited measures include attacks on symbolic government targets, with the possibility of escalation if Iran — which denies pursuing nuclear weapons — refuses to reach an agreement acceptable to Trump.

By Tamilla Hasanova