Inside the Trump briefing on Iran military options: commanders outline strike plans

Trump briefing on Iran military options

President Donald Trump will sit down Thursday with CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper for a Trump briefing on Iran military options, sources tell Axios. The agenda: a “short and powerful” wave of strikes targeting Iran’s critical infrastructure, and a contingency to seize part of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen commercial traffic. Planners hope the pressure will force Tehran back to the nuclear negotiating table.

What the commanders are weighing

Three scenarios emerged: 1) a rapid kinetic campaign aimed at crippling power plants and communications; 2) a limited ground incursion to control Hormuz; 3) a special‑forces raid on Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles. A senior official said the risk of Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces is ↓ 1 in the calculus.

“We are preparing a short, powerful strike that could change the diplomatic calculus,” Admiral Cooper told the president.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine is also slated to attend, underscoring the operation’s seriousness. Trump has previously favored a naval blockade, calling it “more effective than bombing,” but he signaled willingness to move beyond it if Tehran remains obstinate. Reuters and AP News have tracked similar briefings that preceded the Feb. 26 launch of hostilities. Correction: An earlier dispatch misstated the date of the prior briefing as Feb. 28.