US President Donald Trump has decided to continue pursuing diplomatic engagement with Iran despite recently reviewing military options, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited officials familiar with the discussions.
In recent days, Trump held a series of meetings with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine to assess Washington’s approach towards Iran. The discussions reportedly included the possibility of launching additional military strikes and whether the US should abandon negotiations altogether. However, Trump has, for now, opted to keep diplomatic channels open rather than return to a broader military campaign, the report noted.
According to the report, the conversations focused on whether the US should resume large-scale attacks on Iran, a course that some officials reportedly described as a way of “finishing the job.” While no final decision has been taken on future actions, Trump is said to have told aides that another round of extensive military operations could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts.
The US president reportedly believes that preserving negotiations offers a better chance of ultimately addressing concerns surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme than escalating military action at this stage.
The developments come at a time when diplomatic signals from Washington and Tehran remain mixed. Earlier this week, Trump said Iran had approached the United States for talks and stated on social media that a meeting would take place in Doha, Qatar.
Iranian officials, however, denied that any formal discussions had been scheduled, highlighting the uncertainty that continues to surround relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Brent crude rose 27 cents, or 0.37 per cent, to USD 73.22 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 35 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to trade at USD 69.85 a barrel. Despite geopolitical tensions, both benchmarks remained below the USD 75-a-barrel mark, indicating that markets do not currently expect a significant disruption to global oil supplies.
Iran also said it has exported more than 40 million barrels of oil since the lifting of the US blockade, a sharp increase from the period when exports had reportedly come to a halt.
