President Donald Trump met Wednesday with top advisers to evaluate strategy on Iran's nuclear program, as the U.S. expands its military footprint in the region amid rising tensions.
The U.S. and Iran held a second round of talks on Tehran's nuclear program Tuesday in Geneva.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, White House adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law; and other senior officials attended Wednesday's meeting, Axios reported.
One U.S. official told Axios that the Iranians need to come back to the Trump administration by the end of the month with a package of steps addressing concerns the U.S. presented in Geneva regarding their nuclear program.
"The Iranian foreign minister [Abbas Araghchi] told Kushner and Witkoff a lot of positive things, but the devil is in the details," the official said. "The ball [is] in Iran's court, so let's see."
A second U.S. official expressed deep skepticism to Axios and said the talks in Geneva were "a nothing-burger."
U.S. officials told Axios that the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days could factor into the timing of any potential military action against Iran.
Rubio also is planning to visit Israel at the end of the month for talks about Iran, a U.S. official told Axios.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that "there are many arguments one can make in favor of a strike against Iran."
"The president had a very successful operation as commander-in-chief with Operation Midnight Hammer," Leavitt said in a briefing that aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform. "Totally obliterated Iran's nuclear facilities.
"The president has always been very clear with respect to Iran or any country around the world that diplomacy is his first option.
"Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration. He is talking to many people.
"Of course, his national security team first and foremost. … This is something, obviously, the president takes seriously.
"He's always thinking about what is in the best interest of the United States of America, our military, the American people. That's how he makes decisions with respect to military action of any kind."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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