Trump Weighs Military Strikes as Talks With Iran Reach Final Stage

Overview

• President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran are at a final stage and warned that the United States will take “something unpleasant” if no deal is reached.
• White House sources told Axios that a national security meeting presented Mr. Trump with concrete military options and plans for renewed strikes against Iran.
• Gulf leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates urged Washington to hold off and secured a postponement of planned attacks rather than a cancellation.
• Tehran this week sent a new proposal that largely repeats terms the U.S. has rejected, including claims over the Strait of Hormuz, compensation, sanctions relief, release of frozen assets and U.S. troop withdrawal, and Iranian officials have threatened responses beyond the region.
• Diplomacy and military planning are running in parallel, leaving the outcome unresolved and raising the risk of wider regional disruption, threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and further loss of life if talks fail.