United States Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper briefed US President Donald Trump on potential military options in Iran, sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Friday.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine was also present, according to a second person familiar with the discussions, ABC News reported Thursday evening.
The briefing on military options took place after the nuclear talks in Geneva had already concluded.
The meeting indicates that Trump is approaching a critical decision point: whether nuclear talks with Iran still have a realistic chance, or whether a military option must be pursued.
JD Vance: 'No chance' US will be in drawn-out Middle East war
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance stated that there is "no chance" that US strikes on Iran would result in Washington being drawn into a drawn-out war in the Middle East during a Thursday interview with The Washington Post.
Speaking aboard Air Force Two, Vance told the outlet that he does not know what Trump will decide, noting that possibilities include military strikes "to ensure Iran isn't going to get a nuclear weapon," or to solve "the problem diplomatically."
"The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight - there is no chance that will happen," he told the outlet.
Additionally, Oman's Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi is due to meet with Vance and other US officials in Washington on Friday for talks "in an effort to stave off war with Iran," MS NOW reported on Thursday night.
US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva went well, source tells 'Post'
Cooper's briefing came while the Trump administration's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Geneva holding nuclear talks with Iran.
Busaidi described the talks as having made "significant progress" and announced that more discussions will take place next week in Vienna.
A source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post that several issues were clarified during the second round of talks, which he described as positive, and work is continuing toward formulating an agreement.
Trump has amassed the largest buildup of American forces in the Middle East since 2003 to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic to reach a deal, with the open question being whether the two sides’ redlines can overlap just enough to avoid a broader war.
On Wednesday, the Post asked four major AI platforms when the US is likely to strike Iran.
Senior advisors to the Trump administration would prefer if Israel struck Iran first, as such a move would provide better optics and help muster voter support for a US strike, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the discussions.
"There’s thinking in and around the administration that the politics are a lot better if the Israelis go first and alone and the Iranians retaliate against us, and give us more reason to take action," the sources told Politico.
The motivation behind the idea centers on Iran’s retaliation, the sources claimed, as "more Americans would stomach a war with Iran if the United States or an ally were attacked first."
Meanwhile, 12 American F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed at an Israel Air Force base on Tuesday evening. Photographs of the jets were later published by the Chinese intelligence agency MizarVision on Thursday.
Amichai Stein, Yonah Jeremy Bob, Tobias Siegal, Shir Perets, Miriam Sela-Eitam, and Danya Saperstein contributed to this report.