US President Donald Trump has been reportedly briefed on options for a full-scale return to war with Iran, holding multiple conversations with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine on further strikes, but has for now chosen to stick with diplomacy.
The Wall Street Journal reported the development on Tuesday, citing US officials familiar with the discussions.
The development came as Iran said it would not meet with top US envoys who flew to the region, clouding prospects for a lasting peace deal, Reuters reported.
Diplomacy preferred, for now
According to the WSJ, the discussions centred on whether the US should abandon negotiations and resume full-scale attacks on Iran, a move some officials described as "finishing the job."
Trump has told aides he believes further large-scale attacks could derail diplomacy and hurt Washington's chances of eventually dismantling Iran's nuclear programme. He is also said to be fine with negotiations extending beyond an August 18 deadline for a nuclear deal, and remains satisfied for now with ordering one-off strikes when Iran violates the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Publicly, Trump maintains the talks are succeeding. "They're agreeing to everything that I want, and they have to," he told reporters last week, "Otherwise, we just go back and do what we have to do."
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No high-level talks scheduled, says Tehran
US Presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Doha on Tuesday for a fresh round of talks, though they spoke only through mediators, Qatari officials said, according to Reuters.
"No meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days," Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
A key sticking point remains Iran's insistence on charging service fees for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which the US wants kept free of tolls.
Iran's top negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, said on state television that sovereignty over the strait "lies with Iran and Oman."
US Vice President JD Vance reportedly countered that Tehran would be prevented from collecting tolls.
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