Pratik AgrawalCENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper briefed President Trump on possible Iran military options. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine also joined the rare White House meeting.
Top US Commander Briefs Trump In Person
The head of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, presented President Donald Trump with possible Iran military options on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal reported this citing informed sources.
The newspaper wrote that America’s top commander for the Middle East briefed Trump during a rare in person visit to the White House. This happened while the US weighs resuming military action against Iran.
Defense Chiefs Joined The Discussion
The report noted that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also attended the meeting. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine was present too.
Sources cited by the outlet said other cabinet members joined the talks as well. They reportedly discussed several additional topics during the session.
A Rare Meeting Raises Questions
One insider told the paper that this high level meeting followed a Wednesday discussion. Military leaders had spoken with Vice President JD Vance a day earlier.
The newspaper suggested that Cooper rarely briefs Trump face to face. This could signal that Washington is edging closer to major military action. Pentagon and CENTCOM officials declined to comment on the matter.
Vance’s Secret Letter To Tehran
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that Vance sent a secret letter to Iran. Trump had reportedly instructed him to write to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
The outlet claimed the vice president tried to test the waters for reviving peace talks. The goal was reportedly avoiding fresh large scale US strikes on Iran after the November midterms.
Trump has already denied reports that he told Vance to contact Iranian leaders. Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency said Tehran has not yet replied to Vance’s letter.
Mayur Mohta
Akshay Didwaniya
Aditya Didwaniya
