America’s top commander in the Middle East sat down with President Trump at the White House on Thursday to walk through military options on Iran, according to multiple reports, a rare in-person briefing that comes just days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. Central Command, gave the president updated assessments on options to resume strike operations against Iran, a person familiar with the meeting told Al-Monitor. The Wall Street Journal first reported the meeting, according to Al-Monitor, Axios and The Jerusalem Post. Fox News said in a post on X Friday morning that White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported Cooper met with Trump alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
NEW: President Trump reportedly received a high-level military briefing at the White House on potential U.S. military options involving Iran.@JacquiHeinrich reports the top U.S. commander in the Middle East met with Trump alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint… pic.twitter.com/buk6g4rObn
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 30, 2026
Axios, citing two U.S. officials, reported that the briefing focused heavily on the state of the war and the ongoing naval blockade of Iran. According to Axios, Trump wanted to hear directly from the CENTCOM commander on whether the blockade is working, and Cooper also updated him on the operation guiding oil tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz and on the economic pressure campaign the military is running with the Treasury Department.
The room was crowded with the administration’s top national security team. Axios reported that Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles attended. The Jerusalem Post, citing the Journal’s report, said the military leaders had met with Vance a day earlier.
The White House and CENTCOM declined to comment, according to Axios. The New York Post reported that the Pentagon and CENTCOM also declined to comment to the Journal.
No final decision yet
None of the reports say the president has made a call. Al-Monitor reported it was not immediately clear after Thursday’s meeting whether Trump had decided to restart the war, and the New York Post reported that diplomats stressed Trump has not made a final decision on new strikes.
Trump has kept both doors open on the campaign trail. “We may do another little Epic Fury,” he said at a rally last week, according to the New York Post, referring to the U.S. strike campaign that began Feb. 28. At a stop in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, the Post reported, Trump said the war would end “whenever I want it to end,” adding that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon.”
The diplomatic track is still moving too. Axios reported that Qatari mediators recently delivered a letter from Vance to a senior Iranian security official proposing a restart of negotiations, with any talks required to address Iran’s nuclear program. Axios also reported that Trump and Vance discussed a possible goodwill gesture such as sending food and medicine, an idea Trump later backed publicly.
Democrats object
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has been briefed on classified options, attacked the plan. “Their plan is insane,” Murphy said at a Middle East Institute event, according to Al-Monitor. He argued it would lead to escalation, though he did not offer details of what he was briefed on.
Republican strategist Karl Rove told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade he expects Trump to resume strikes after Election Day, pointing to two aircraft carriers in the region and a third on the way, according to the New York Post.
For now, the message from the White House is pressure on two fronts: keep the blockade squeezing Tehran while leaving room for a deal. Officials have said no new strikes are planned before Tuesday’s vote, according to Al-Monitor.
Sources
Sources cited
Sources
- Original post: Fox News (@FoxNews) on X, Oct 30, 2026
Posts on X are shown as published by their authors; claims in them are attributed, not independently confirmed unless the article says so. If an embedded post does not load, these links open the originals.