On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that his administration had received a communication indicating Tehran's desire to hold a meeting. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials have suggested that Trump is leaning towards expanding military operations within Iran. This comes after a series of briefings discussing options that include intensifying airstrikes, deploying ground forces to secure Iranian islands, and targeting a fortified site linked to Iran's nuclear program.
Officials have clarified that Trump has not yet made a definitive decision, reiterating both publicly and in private meetings his preference for a diplomatic resolution. However, the stalemate in negotiations and Tehran's lack of responsiveness to U.S. demands have prompted him to explore more aggressive options. These could potentially force Iran to make concessions or at least commit to halting attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump revealed that his administration received a call indicating the Iranian side's interest in meeting, although he did not specify who made the call or the potential timing and location of the meeting. He characterized the Iranians as "good negotiators" but also described them as "difficult," accusing Tehran of stalling successive U.S. administrations for 47 years. He believes that reaching an agreement with them necessitates the approach his administration is currently taking.
Expanding Military Operations
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is inclined to expand U.S. military operations in Iran, following days of briefings and discussions with senior officials in his administration. The options being presented to the president include increasing airstrikes against additional targets within Iran, sending ground forces to seize control of Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, and bombing a tunnel complex at Pickaxe Mountain, which is believed to potentially be used for clandestine nuclear activities. Furthermore, the possibility of extending strikes to include Iranian energy facilities remains on the table.
Despite the current inclination towards expanding military operations, officials noted that Trump may change his stance. His public discussion of military options could also serve as a means to pressure Iran and bring them back to the negotiating table. On Tuesday evening, Trump held a meeting in the White House Situation Room to discuss the potential use of U.S. forces to control Kharg Island and other territories near the Strait of Hormuz, alongside the possibility of bombing the tunnel complex at Pickaxe Mountain, a site that has yet to be targeted by the United States.
This meeting was part of a series of formal and informal discussions Trump has had in recent days with key officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Keen.
No Final Decision Made
Officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal confirmed that Trump has not made a final decision regarding the next phase of military action and continues to express a preference for resolving the conflict with Iran diplomatically. However, Tehran's failure to respond to Trump's demand for the surrender of its nuclear materials, despite weeks of military strikes and a temporary agreement that would allow it to reap billions from oil sales, has pushed Trump to ask his aides to prepare more escalatory options that could compel Iran to comply with U.S. demands or at least to promise to cease attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Some officials indicated that Trump remains hesitant about deploying ground troops, having previously backed away from broader threats, including the seizure of Kharg Island and Iran's oil industry. The newspaper noted that approving these plans would escalate the ongoing conflict, which has lasted nearly five months, into a more perilous phase, drawing the United States deeper into a widening conflict in the Middle East, with potential increases in fuel prices and complicating calculations for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
As of Wednesday, American strikes on Iran entered their fifth consecutive day following the collapse of a memorandum of understanding that had led to the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and the suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales. Trump announced the end of the ceasefire after Iran attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz, subsequently reinstating the blockade and authorizing the resumption of strikes.
According to the Wall Street Journal, an authorization to bomb Pickaxe Mountain or conduct an operation to seize Kharg Island would constitute one of Trump's most perilous decisions since the war began. The site at Pickaxe Mountain contains a network of tunnels carved into granite at depths ranging from 300 to 475 feet, approximately 90 to 145 meters, below the mountain's surface. These tunnels lie significantly deeper than the Natanz and Fordow uranium enrichment facilities, which were bombed by the U.S. and Israel in the summer of 2025. It is believed that construction at the site is still ongoing.
The depth of the tunnels may make destruction through direct hits from U.S. bunker-busting bombs exceedingly challenging. During the strikes on Fordow in 2025, U.S. forces targeted ventilation shafts extending vertically to the underground halls; however, publicly available satellite imagery has not definitively revealed similar shaft locations at Pickaxe Mountain. Nevertheless, the site is not entirely fortified, as construction work relies on power supplies and the transport of equipment and personnel—elements that can be targeted or disrupted.
While Kharg Island serves as the primary hub for Iranian oil exports, seizing control of it could significantly damage the country’s oil industry. However, U.S. forces deployed there would be directly exposed to Iranian missile and drone attacks, according to American officials and analysts. Trump is also contemplating ideas for the seizure of other islands near the Strait of Hormuz to assist in safeguarding maritime traffic and destroying heavily fortified Iranian military sites. Analysts have noted that the most likely islands to be targeted are Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, given their strategic military positions in the region. However, officials and analysts warned that U.S. forces would also be vulnerable to Iranian missiles and drones on these islands, making any ground operation riskier than the airstrikes currently being conducted by Washington.
As reported by asharq.com.
