President Donald Trump is growing increasingly warm to using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities and souring on the idea of a diplomatic solution to end Tehran’s escalating conflict with Israel, two officials familiar with the ongoing discussions told CNN.
The new, more hawkish posture represents a significant shift in Trump’s thinking, though the sources said Trump remains open to a diplomatic solution — if Iran makes significant concessions.
Over the weekend and into Monday, discussions among Trump administration officials had continued to center on trying to find a diplomatic solution to serve as an off-ramp, sources familiar with the talks said.
But Trump signaled early Tuesday his patience for diplomacy was wearing thin. “I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate with Iran,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One returning early from the Group of 7 summit in Canada. He added that his objective in Iran was “an end, a real end, not a ceasefire,” or “giving up entirely.”
live updates Israel and Iran trade strikes on fifth day of conflict
He later doubled down on Truth Social, calling for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” and asserting that the US knew the location of Iran’s supreme leader – even though it would not kill him “for now.”
Officials said Trump had, for now, moved away from the idea of dispatching top officials to a mutually agreed upon location in the Middle East to meet with the Iranians and attempt to hash out a deal.
Military officials were preparing for the possibility that Trump would decide to order the US Air Force to help refuel Israeli fighter jets as they carry out strikes over Iran, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The sources said that is one reason why more than 30 US aerial refueling tankers have been surged to the region over the last several days.
The refueling of Israeli jets would be on the lesser end of US military involvement, the sources said. More broadly, however, the tankers have been moved in order to give Trump and US Central Command “options” should things escalate, one of the sources said. That includes the option, presented to Trump by CENTCOM, of joint US-Israel strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the source added.
On Tuesday, after Trump abruptly returned to Washington from the G7 Summit, his vice president offered one of the clearest signals to date that Trump was weighing taking offensive action to eliminate Iran’s nuclear facilities.
JD Vance posted to X that the president “may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the president.”
Trump was meeting Tuesday with members of his national security team in the White House Situation Room. Israel has been pressing Trump to become more involved in its campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear facilities, which top officials from the country have said would require American weapons and planes. An Israeli source familiar with the matter said there was more optimism within Israel that the US would join the military campaign against Iran. But the source said the Israelis had not yet received an official decision from the Trump administration.
Until Tuesday, the president had offered little clarity on whether he would accede to Israel’s pressure, which has been countered by loud voices within his own party encouraging him to avoid getting dragged into another foreign conflict. Trump had been wary of ordering the US to engage directly on behalf of the Israelis, beyond providing defensive support to intercept Iranian missiles and US intelligence.
But in a string of social media posts Tuesday, Trump sounded increasingly combative and used the word “we” to describe military action in Iran.
“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” he wrote. “Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
In a separate post, Trump also used “we” to describe information pinpointing the location of Iran’s supreme leader.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote.
Related article Israel says Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon. US intel says it was years away
The Trump administration had heavily relied on the Omanis in recent months to pass messages back and forth with Iranian officials and facilitate five rounds of negotiations as the US and Iran worked toward a possible nuclear deal. But when Israel initially began carrying out the major operation targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, the administration’s tactics changed, sources familiar with the matter said.
Trump instructed special envoy Steve Witkoff to attempt to meet with Iranian officials as quickly as possible, and the administration engaged a wide range of regional players to get Iran back to the table, sources said, including the Qataris, the Egyptians, the Saudis and the Turks.
“It is not just the Omanis, it is everyone. Everyone is working,” said a regional diplomat familiar with the administration’s outreach in recent days. “Witkoff is texting everyone.”
But those efforts on Tuesday morning had not delivered a breakthrough. Iran’s Foreign Ministry told CNN on Tuesday that it know nothing about planned talks in the coming days.
Trump administration officials have been closely monitoring private and public communications from Israel regarding its plans to escalate offensive attacks on Iran in the next few days. An official said those signals were a driving force behind Trump’s Monday directive for residents of Tehran to evacuate.
It is still unclear whether the president will ultimately decide to aid Israel’s effort to fully eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Sources familiar with the behind-the-scenes talks have said the possibility is on the table, especially if the Iranians do not more proactively try to find a solution.
In his message Tuesday, Vance sought to address concerns from members of Trump’s own base of supporters about the potential for an escalating conflict that draws the US closer to war.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/trump-israel-iran-ceasefire
The new, more hawkish posture represents a significant shift in Trump’s thinking, though the sources said Trump remains open to a diplomatic solution — if Iran makes significant concessions.
Over the weekend and into Monday, discussions among Trump administration officials had continued to center on trying to find a diplomatic solution to serve as an off-ramp, sources familiar with the talks said.
But Trump signaled early Tuesday his patience for diplomacy was wearing thin. “I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate with Iran,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One returning early from the Group of 7 summit in Canada. He added that his objective in Iran was “an end, a real end, not a ceasefire,” or “giving up entirely.”
live updates Israel and Iran trade strikes on fifth day of conflict
He later doubled down on Truth Social, calling for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” and asserting that the US knew the location of Iran’s supreme leader – even though it would not kill him “for now.”
Officials said Trump had, for now, moved away from the idea of dispatching top officials to a mutually agreed upon location in the Middle East to meet with the Iranians and attempt to hash out a deal.
Military officials were preparing for the possibility that Trump would decide to order the US Air Force to help refuel Israeli fighter jets as they carry out strikes over Iran, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The sources said that is one reason why more than 30 US aerial refueling tankers have been surged to the region over the last several days.
The refueling of Israeli jets would be on the lesser end of US military involvement, the sources said. More broadly, however, the tankers have been moved in order to give Trump and US Central Command “options” should things escalate, one of the sources said. That includes the option, presented to Trump by CENTCOM, of joint US-Israel strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the source added.
On Tuesday, after Trump abruptly returned to Washington from the G7 Summit, his vice president offered one of the clearest signals to date that Trump was weighing taking offensive action to eliminate Iran’s nuclear facilities.
JD Vance posted to X that the president “may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the president.”
Trump was meeting Tuesday with members of his national security team in the White House Situation Room. Israel has been pressing Trump to become more involved in its campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear facilities, which top officials from the country have said would require American weapons and planes. An Israeli source familiar with the matter said there was more optimism within Israel that the US would join the military campaign against Iran. But the source said the Israelis had not yet received an official decision from the Trump administration.
Until Tuesday, the president had offered little clarity on whether he would accede to Israel’s pressure, which has been countered by loud voices within his own party encouraging him to avoid getting dragged into another foreign conflict. Trump had been wary of ordering the US to engage directly on behalf of the Israelis, beyond providing defensive support to intercept Iranian missiles and US intelligence.
But in a string of social media posts Tuesday, Trump sounded increasingly combative and used the word “we” to describe military action in Iran.
“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” he wrote. “Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
In a separate post, Trump also used “we” to describe information pinpointing the location of Iran’s supreme leader.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote.
Related article Israel says Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon. US intel says it was years away
The Trump administration had heavily relied on the Omanis in recent months to pass messages back and forth with Iranian officials and facilitate five rounds of negotiations as the US and Iran worked toward a possible nuclear deal. But when Israel initially began carrying out the major operation targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, the administration’s tactics changed, sources familiar with the matter said.
Trump instructed special envoy Steve Witkoff to attempt to meet with Iranian officials as quickly as possible, and the administration engaged a wide range of regional players to get Iran back to the table, sources said, including the Qataris, the Egyptians, the Saudis and the Turks.
“It is not just the Omanis, it is everyone. Everyone is working,” said a regional diplomat familiar with the administration’s outreach in recent days. “Witkoff is texting everyone.”
But those efforts on Tuesday morning had not delivered a breakthrough. Iran’s Foreign Ministry told CNN on Tuesday that it know nothing about planned talks in the coming days.
Trump administration officials have been closely monitoring private and public communications from Israel regarding its plans to escalate offensive attacks on Iran in the next few days. An official said those signals were a driving force behind Trump’s Monday directive for residents of Tehran to evacuate.
It is still unclear whether the president will ultimately decide to aid Israel’s effort to fully eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Sources familiar with the behind-the-scenes talks have said the possibility is on the table, especially if the Iranians do not more proactively try to find a solution.
In his message Tuesday, Vance sought to address concerns from members of Trump’s own base of supporters about the potential for an escalating conflict that draws the US closer to war.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/trump-israel-iran-ceasefire
