Top admiral briefs Trump on options for an attack on Iran, Wall Street Journal reports
The briefing comes as Trump says no strike will come before the November 3 election and Iran weighs a new draft deal from Qatari mediators.
A top admiral has briefed Trump on options for an attack on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports. It is a firmer step than the earlier directive to US Central Command to draft a strike plan with no deadline, and it brings the standoff closer to a decision.
Trump has pledged not to strike before the November 3 election. The Pentagon has drafted a three-day strike plan, and Trump had already rejected five other options. Any strike would wait until after the vote. The Journal has also reported that Trump told aides privately he expects to resume bombing Iran by the end of November.
Diplomacy is running at the same time. Qatari mediators have given Iran a new draft deal, and an official briefed on the talks says Tehran will reply by the end of the week. Al Arabiya reports that mediators and Iran are discussing a meeting in Turkey before November 4. Iran on October 28 rejected Washington's seven-day plan for the Strait of Hormuz, calling its terms "unacceptable demands". Axios, citing US and Israeli officials, reports that they expect a week of bombing of Iran if there is no deal.
Trump's public word has not always matched his decisions. Axios's Barak Ravid recalled that Trump had already decided to strike Iran's nuclear sites before he publicly said otherwise last year. A formal military briefing therefore counts for more than his repeated talk of acting "very soon", and it narrows the gap between his pledges of restraint and an order.
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