U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper briefed President Donald Trump on Thursday on the state of the war with Iran, with a focus on the ongoing naval blockade, according to two U.S. officials.1
The briefing reflected Trump's dual approach of trying to reach a deal to restart negotiations while also preparing for a possible resumption of major combat operations after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, a pattern he followed before Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 and Operation Epic Fury in February.1,3
Trump wanted to hear directly from Cooper on whether the naval blockade is working, the officials said. Cooper also briefed Trump on the military operation for guiding oil tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz to global energy markets and on the economic pressure campaign the military is conducting with the Treasury Department.1
The meeting included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the officials said. The White House and Central Command declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported the meeting.1
Separately, the Trump administration has privately warned several Gulf Arab governments through diplomatic and military channels to prepare for another intensive American military campaign against Iran after the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people briefed on the discussions. Trump has not officially approved an operation but is leaning toward attacks on Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with his thinking.2,3
Trump publicly raised the prospect of renewed hostilities at a campaign rally in Florida on Friday, saying, "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree," according to a rally transcript. The White House previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that no attacks will happen before the midterm elections, but it did not say strikes would not happen after the elections. American and Israeli planners are weighing an offensive intended to weaken Tehran and pressure its leaders to negotiate, according to the Journal.3
U.S. forces are reinforcing Israel's missile defenses, restocking weapons and shifting troops away from exposed bases as preparations accelerate, the Journal reported. The Pentagon is sending another Patriot air defense system from Texas to Israel, the Journal reported, citing flight-tracking records and two officials familiar with the transfer, and U.S. bombers and fighter jets are also being prepared for potential strikes, officials told the outlet. About 9,000 additional sailors and Marines began deploying aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and USS Makin Island amphibious ready group, potentially bringing the regional American naval presence to three aircraft carriers and more than 20,000 personnel, The Associated Press reported on Oct. 1, citing an anonymous U.S. official. Another carrier strike group and Marine expeditionary unit could join about 20 American warships in the Middle East in November, although some vessels may rotate out, the Journal reported.3
The possible offensive would follow months of sanctions and a naval blockade that have squeezed Iran's oil exports and trade. The blockade has prevented Iranian crude tankers from successfully escaping enforcement in the Gulf of Oman since July 12, leaving at least 53 oil-laden tankers clustered along Iran's coastline as of Oct. 27, according to United Against Nuclear Iran. Washington has also imposed additional sanctions on foreign shipping agents, cargo vessels and financial facilitators involved in Iranian trade as part of its campaign to cut off Tehran's oil revenue, according to the Treasury Department.1,3
The conflict had cost the United States an estimated $47.1 billion by mid-October, including about $29 billion in expended weapons, according to estimates shared with lawmakers and described by the Journal. That figure excludes damage to American bases. The war's true cost is likely substantially higher, as Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at American military bases across eight Middle Eastern countries, according to the Pentagon inspector general.3
At the same time, a group of regional mediators led by Qatar is trying to get the United States and Iran to choose negotiations over a resumption of war after the midterms. "The mediation is at a very sensitive stage," a regional source said. Qatari mediators recently delivered a letter from Vance to Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Gen. Mohsen Rezaei. Vance proposed restarting negotiations but stressed that any talks would have to address Iran's nuclear program.1
Trump and Vance met Wednesday to discuss a possible gesture of goodwill toward Iran, such as sending humanitarian goods like food and medicine, according to a source with knowledge, and Trump later publicly backed the idea. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack told CNN on Thursday that the United States and Iran are "very close" to a deal to deescalate tensions. "I think we're very close to finally getting to a place where we can say, 'Let's just have a timeout,'" he said. "We're not going to have an overall solution immediately, but we can allow the region to find its own pace."1
Iranian officials on Thursday continued to demand that the United States take a series of steps, such as lifting the blockade, releasing Iranian frozen funds and allowing Iran to sell oil, before resuming negotiations on the nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also pressing for renewed strikes, with Israeli officials preparing targets for another operation, the Journal reported, adding that Netanyahu reportedly views military pressure as a way to further erode the Iranian regime's power. The White House declined to discuss potential military operations while insisting Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons, the Journal reported. "The forces pulling matters toward another round of war are much stronger than the forces pushing back," Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation, while a senior military official told the outlet, "Things are about to get spicy."1,3
