Follow-up: Advisers Tell Trump the Window for Renewed Iran Strikes Is Closing, With a Decision Due Within Weeks
WASHINGTON — Some of President Donald Trump's advisers, along with administration and defense officials, have told him that the window for restarting major combat operations against Iran is closing, NBC News reported on November 6, citing two U.S. officials. The next eight weeks offer a narrowing opportunity, the officials argued, urging him to act before a Democratic-controlled Congress takes office in January — which would require him to make a decision within weeks.
The officials gave two reasons. First, once the new Congress is seated, a renewed campaign against Iran could face investigations, funding restrictions or measures aimed at halting hostilities. Second, the U.S. military is maintaining more than 50,000 troops, over 20 warships and more than 200 aircraft in the Middle East, and sustaining that posture for an extended period is affecting U.S. military readiness.
The timetable was outlined to Trump five days before the midterm elections, the report said, and the results — a Democratic takeover of both the House and the Senate — have only reinforced the sense of urgency. On November 5, Trump's national security team presented him with options for resuming large-scale operations, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine briefed him on the Iranian threat and military options. Hegseth continues to advocate renewed strikes, while Vice President JD Vance favors negotiations aimed at a ceasefire and a restart of nuclear talks.
Trump has not made a final decision. A White House official told NBC that Trump has all options available at any time and that only he knows when and what he will decide. On November 6, Trump confirmed that the U.S. had carried out a limited strike on Iran's Qeshm Island that day, destroying a small Iranian-made air defense system, describing the confrontation as a minor military operation rather than a war.
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(Source: NBC News)
Source: NBC News
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