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Donald Trump and Iran: Military Strikes, Diplomacy, and Nuclear Negotiations

Thursday, July 2, 2026
5 min read
Donald Trump and Iran: Military Strikes, Diplomacy, and Nuclear Negotiations

Donald Trump has been talking with senior defense officials lately about hitting Iran again. The idea of further military strikes keeps coming up in these talks. But he hasn't decided anything yet. He’s sticking to diplomacy for now, according to a report that came out in the Wall Street Journal.

The officials said they had multiple conversations with people like Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They asked them straight up: should the United States end these talks and start full-scale military action against Iran?

The discussions focused on this split should Washington just walk away from diplomacy and launch another campaign? Some folks even described that option as "finishing the job." That’s a heavy phrase, isn't it?

But Trump hasn't made any final call. He told his aides that another round of full-scale attacks could really mess up these ongoing negotiations. It would definitely affect whatever efforts they have going on to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. WSJ reported this angle.

Meanwhile, there was talk about the timeline. They also mentioned that Trump is comfortable if negotiations keep going past the August 18 deadline set for reaching a nuclear deal. That kind of flexibility, or lack thereof, really changes things.

The officials suggested something else too. Currently, the president seems to prefer responding with limited military strikes if there are violations of the memorandum of understanding. Not jumping into a massive campaign just yet.

US officials noted that Trump keeps getting military briefings on Iran. He’s had formal meetings, and some informal ones, with his defense team. It sounds like he’s keeping things very close to the top brass.

But there's an underlying tension here. Some of these discussions suggest something else entirely. If they were to restart military operations, it would essentially be admitting that the diplomatic effort hasn't worked out. That kind of acknowledgment weighs heavily.

Despite all this talk about options military or peace Trump still seems confident in keeping the negotiations going. He basically says he’s fine where things stand right now.

His special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, traveled to Doha recently for another round of talks. These meetings were indirect, naturally. Mediators were relaying messages between the US side and Iran. Technical teams from both nations were expected to keep talking behind the scenes all week. It’s been two weeks now under that 60-day framework they aGreed on last month.

One big sticking point keeps popping up in these talks: the Strait of Hormuz. This waterway is huge. Iran wants to start imposing fees on ships passing through it. The US, though, insists international shipping should flow freely, just like before the conflict started. That difference seems almost impossible to bridge.

And then there’s the nuclear issue. Tehran keeps pushing back against any sweeping restrictions on their nuclear activities. Despite Trump repeatedly saying Iran already aGreed to some limits, they are still resistant. It’s a real disconnect happening right now.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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