Donald Trump is weighing whether to resume bombing Iran as senior officials in his administration push to secure a new peace agreement with Tehran.
The president met with his national security team at the White House on Wednesday and again on Thursday to consider restarting military operations against Iran, according to multiple reports. The meetings marked Trump’s first formal discussions about the war since Democrats captured both chambers of Congress on Tuesday.
Officials told Trump that a new moon will appear over the Middle East on Monday, creating near-total darkness and the conditions military commanders favor for air operations, sources told Fox News.
Earlier, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Washington would “make a decision” on whether to resume the war. He also questioned whether the United States should “go further” to ensure Iran’s nuclear program is permanently dismantled.
Trump said he would prefer not to destroy more of Iran if it could be avoided, “but maybe I will have to.”
“You’ll know soon enough,” he added.
At the same time, Tehran has presented the White House with a fresh proposal regarding its nuclear program through Qatari mediators, leaving Trump to choose between pursuing an agreement and destroying what remains of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Iran has also begun distributing iodine tablets to families living within two miles of its nuclear facilities and instructing them on how to survive a blast, The Times reported.
Tehran is concerned that the next US strike could target Pickaxe Mountain, a nuclear complex near Natanz buried as deep as 100 meters beneath granite.
US Central Command has prepared strike plans that could have been launched the day after the election. Thousands of American troops also remain in waters near Iran as part of the naval blockade.
Trump met with his national security team at the White House on Wednesday and Thursday to consider resuming military operations against Iran
An oil tanker burns after being struck by an Iranian attack in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11
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Officials told Trump that a new moon over the Middle East on Monday would provide almost no moonlight and the cover commanders prefer for air operations, according to Fox News sources.
Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz or return to negotiations until the United States satisfies seven conditions, the country’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, said Thursday during a visit to Russia.
The demands include lifting US sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets and paying reparations for the war.
Trump rejected the seven-part proposal in September, responding by posting a map that renamed the waterway “Trump Strait.” Tehran now says the conditions have been condensed and could be completed within two days.
Vice President JD Vance is leading the advisers urging Trump to pursue an agreement, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent favor maintaining the naval blockade.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi used a phone call with Trump on Thursday to warn that Iraq must not be used as “a launchpad for aggression against neighboring countries,” according to a statement from his office on X.
Democrats captured the House and Senate on Tuesday, winning seats in Texas, Kansas and other traditionally Republican states as voters reacted to high prices and the war under Trump.
“The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote on X, adding that Trump himself had made the same point the previous night.
Trump called that assessment “largely true,” but attributed the defeat primarily to gasoline prices rather than the conflict. He also repeated his warning that “You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
The average price of gasoline reached $4.15 a gallon on Election Day, the highest recorded on a midterm or presidential election day since at least 2000.
Meanwhile, rising energy costs reduced the average American household’s income by nearly $1,230. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-quarter of the world’s traded oil and one-fifth of its liquefied natural gas, was effectively sealed.