US President Donald Trump considered returning to all-out war with Iran, but currently prefers to stick with diplomatic talks and one-off strikes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US sources familiar with the discussions.
According to the report, Trump held multiple conversations with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine about additional strikes, but has chosen to continue negotiations instead.
Though their conversations reportedly centered around "finishing the job," as some officials described it, the president estimated that returning to full-scale war would likely derail diplomacy efforts, especially in relation to the issue of nuclear disarmament.
Trump has also said that he is fine with negotiations with Iran continuing past a previous August 18 deadline for a nuclear deal while ordering limited single strikes in response to any Iranian violations of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, according to the WSJ.
However, Trump has not yet made a final decision to avoid returning to war, the outlet reported.
Iran 'agreeing to everything I want,' otherwise, a return to war
A White House official said that Trump always prefers to take the diplomatic route, and that the Iranian regime would be wise to heed their opportunity to agree and hold to an amicable deal with the US, according to the WSJ; Trump maintains that talks are succeeding and that the MoU is being upheld, but holds military options in his back pocket should diplomacy fail.
"They're agreeing to everything that I want, and they have to... Otherwise, we just go back and do what we have to do," the president said last Wednesday, following a meeting with Senate Republicans at the US Capitol.
Diplomacy efforts are still underway, after the two countries agreed to 60 days of talks.
A US delegation, consisting of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in Doha for negotiations through Qatari mediators. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have also been spearheading diplomatic efforts with Iran.
"If they're willing to change, we're willing to change too; if they're not willing to change, we still fundamentally have all the cards, and I think that's a good place to be," the vice president said in an interview on HBO's "Real Time" on June 26.
"If they are willing to give up nuclear weapons ambitions for the long term, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country," he said.
CENTCOM, IRGC in direct communication, but 'Iran has not been cooperative at all'
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, however, said that "Iran has not been cooperative at all, yet," on Fox News Tuesday.
The Islamic regime said it won't accept restrictions of any significance on its nuclear program, though Trump insisted that they've already committed to dismantlement, according to the WSJ.
The president has repeatedly threatened to return to all-out war, and recent escalations resulted in tit-for-tat strikes between the two nations in violation of the ceasefire agreement between the two nations.
Trump has also repeatedly declined to authorize large-scale operations since the Pakistan-mediated initial ceasefire of April 8, according to US officials, despite threatening to destroy Iranian civilization and seize oil reserves from the country.
Despite the seeming standstill, there has been diplomatic progress.
The US and Iran have set up a direct line for communication between US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in an attempt to avert a diplomatic crisis and a return to direct conflict.