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Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Report: Trump weighing major expansion of Iran campaign following Situation Room meeting
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
US President Donald Trump convened senior national security officials in the White House Situation Room last night to discuss a massive offensive in Iran that could be carried out in the coming days, according to an Axios report.
The attack under consideration would be wider in scope than the recent US strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, with military officials having presented a series of options against strategic targets inside Iran that Washington has not previously attacked, the report says, citing three sources with knowledge.
Officials in attendance included US Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, the report says.
In the hours before the meeting, Trump told Fox News that the US may strike bridges and power stations next week, adding that he would “save the energy targets for last,” but would “ultimately” hit them.
No final decision has yet been made, Axios reports, but the military options are expected to be seriously considered by Trump if there is no diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran in the coming days.
The Times of Israel Community.