Trump's Advisers Split Three Ways on Iran — Vance for a Deal, Hegseth for Strikes, Rubio and Bessent for Pressure — as Qatar Mediates at the Eleventh Hour

WASHINGTON — With the midterm elections over, President Trump's advisers and foreign allies are racing to shape his decision on the Iran war — whether to end it through a diplomatic deal or reignite it with renewed large-scale strikes — The Wall Street Journal reported on November 7, citing U.S. officials who described a White House split into three camps.

The diplomacy camp, led by Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, wants continued backing for talks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz; Vance had told Trump before the election that he intended to blame the Republican defeat on the war, and afterwards publicly questioned whether the war was worthwhile. The strikes camp, led by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, has backed a return to major combat operations in recent briefings on military options, and hawkish outside advisers have called Trump since Election Day arguing that his legacy depends on forcing Iran to surrender its nuclear program. The pressure camp, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, advocates tightening sanctions and continuing the blockade on Iranian trade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still pushing for renewed strikes, while Gulf allies are more wary of escalation.

Mediators are making an eleventh-hour effort. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at an event in Oxford, England, on Friday that Qatari mediators were working 'as we speak' to avoid another wave of escalation in the region, and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke with Trump the same day. Iranian officials are expected to return to Doha in the coming days, possibly as early as Saturday, to discuss a draft deal that would shrink the timetable for preliminary contacts from the 60 days set in the June memorandum of understanding to just two days, moving almost immediately into nuclear negotiations; Gulf foreign ministers are also seeking a call with Trump or a high-level meeting in Washington to make the case for a deal. A White House official said Trump is in no hurry to decide. On Friday, Trump had just confirmed that U.S. forces carried out a small-scale strike on Iran's Qeshm Island that day.

Related:

Follow-Up: Vance Leads the Indirect Talks With Iran, Speaking Almost Daily With Qatari and Pakistani Mediators

Follow-up: Trump Confirms U.S. Struck Qeshm Island Again on Friday, Says a New Air-Defence Installation Was Destroyed

(Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：美国副总统万斯（资料图）。2026年10月6日，万斯在阿拉斯加州安克雷奇 Elmendorf 空军基地出席美军能力展示活动。白宫官方照片，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: U.S. Vice President JD Vance (file photo) at a U.S. military capabilities showcase at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, on October 6, 2026. Official White House photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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