Wall Street Journal: Trump administration officials push for new strikes on Iran - Sarmad
A report reveals divisions within the Trump administration between military escalation against Iran or negotiating for peace.
Translated by Qiyas from سرمد — Original source
Officials in President Donald Trump’s administration are pushing for new military strikes on Iran, followed by moves toward a peace deal that would allow Washington to exit the conflict during the transition period before Democrats regain control of Congress in January, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with internal administration deliberations.
In contrast, other officials believe Trump should minimize losses and gradually wind down the military operation, amid growing divisions within the administration over the war’s future. These disagreements reveal a split between a faction advocating for renewed military escalation and another favoring a negotiated exit to end the confrontation.
The newspaper reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was among the most prominent voices inside the administration calling for the war to continue, often clashing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President J.D. Vance, and other officials who urged a resumption of peace talks.
Some White House advisors have blamed Hegseth, arguing that he convinced Trump at the outset of the conflict that it would be a short-lived confrontation.
Militarily, the Pentagon has been preparing for weeks for the possibility of resuming large-scale combat operations, amassing thousands of tons of ammunition and deploying additional air defense systems and ships to the region.
A third aircraft carrier group and an additional Marine Corps unit are also heading to the Middle East, a move that could add between 9,000 and 10,000 troops to the U.S. forces already deployed there, according to the American newspaper.
Trump stated that the United States has no immediate plans to strike Iran, while downplaying speculation that he was preparing to escalate his conflict with Tehran following the midterm elections.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the U.S. president indicated he was satisfied with the current standoff with Iran, while also noting his readiness for further war if necessary.
