Trump met top advisers on Iran as he weighs return to war
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President Trump with CIA Director John Ratcliffe (L) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Photo: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Trump convened a meeting with his senior national security team on the war with Iran on Friday morning, two U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: Trump is seriously considering launching new strikes against Iran barring a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations, sources who have spoken directly with the president say.
Split screen: Trump's Iran meeting took place as the head of the Pakistani military, Field Marshal Asim Munir, traveled to Tehran in an apparent eleventh-hour effort to bridge the gaps and prevent a resumption of the war.
- A Qatari delegation also arrived in Tehran on Friday to support the mediation effort.
- Munir is expected to meet on Saturday with Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a key player in the Iranian decision-making process.
- A U.S. official briefed on the diplomatic efforts described the negotiations as "agonizing." The U.S. official said drafts are "going back and forth every day" without much progress.
Inside the room: Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and other officials attended the meeting along with Trump, the sources said.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine did not attend as they were in Europe and at the Naval Academy graduation ceremony, respectively.
- Trump was briefed during the meeting on the status of the negotiations and the different scenarios if talks collapse.
The intrigue: Several hours after the meeting, the White House announced a change to Trump's schedule for the weekend.
- After a planned speech in New York on Friday evening, he will return to Washington rather than staying at his Bedminster Golf Club.
- Trump also wrote on his Truth Social account that he was not going to attend Don Jr.'s wedding this weekend due to "circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America."
- "I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time," he wrote.
Behind the scenes: A source close to Trump and a second source with knowledge of the situation told Axios that Trump had grown increasingly frustrated about the negotiations with Iran over the past several days.
- On Tuesday, he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wanted to give diplomacy another chance, but by Thursday night he was leaning toward ordering a strike, the two sources said.
- A source close to Trump said the president has raised the possibility of a final "decisive" major military operation, after which he could declare victory and end the war.
- There is no indication Trump has made a decision to resume the war.
The other side: Iran's Foreign Ministry said Friday that talks were ongoing but a deal was not close.
- The semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, quoted a source close to the Iranian negotiating team on Friday who said "talks over disputed issues are still ongoing and no final result has yet been achieved."
- The source claimed the current focus is on "ending the war," and no other issue will be negotiated until that has been achieved.
Between the lines: Trump has appeared close to resuming the war several times over the past six weeks before deciding against it.
- Some sources close to the negotiations still believe there is an opportunity over the next 24 hours for some kind of breakthrough.
- The two sources familiar with Trump's thinking say he appears inclined to proceed with military action unless something unexpected happens in the talks.
