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 the escalating conflict, two officials familiar with the ongoing discussions tell 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.”
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.
On Tuesday, after Trump abruptly returned to Washington, 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 on Tuesday that the president “may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the president.”
Trump was due to meet 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.
Until Tuesday, the president had offered little clarity on whether he would accede to that 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.
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 they know nothing about planned talks in the coming days.
Trump administration officials have been closely monitoring private and public communications from Israel regarding their plans to escalate their 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 and 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.
“And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy,” Vance wrote, getting at the divide emerging among conservatives over whether to aid Israel in their goal of wiping out Iran’s nuclear capabilities or to avoid dragging the US into another foreign war.
In a private phone call Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham personally urged Trump to go “all in” to end Iran’s nuclear program, including using the might of the US military.
“I said, Mr. President, ‘This is a historic moment. Four presidents have promised that they won’t get a nuclear weapon on your watch. You can fulfill that promise,” the South Carolina Republican said a day afterward.
Graham, who is one of the GOP’s most hawkish voices on Iran, made clear to Trump he wants the US to intervene in the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program more directly with American military resources, alongside Israel’s.
“If it takes bombs, bunker buster bombs, so be it. If we need to fly with Israel, so be it. The consequences of not getting this right are enormous,” Graham told reporters.
A White House official said Trump understands both sides of that argument. But the official said the president firmly believes that his repeated statements that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and warnings that the US would ensure that never happens provide justification for any potential action.
Upon arriving back at the White House Tuesday morning, Trump posted a message he’d received from his ambassador in Israel, Mike Huckabee, acknowledging the president had “many voices speaking to you” but encouraging him to be open to divine intervention.
“I believe you will hear from heaven and that voice is far more important than mine or ANYONE else’s,” Huckabee wrote.
Trump has said previously that Iran must abandon its nuclear program, and alleged Tuesday that Iran was “very close” to developing a nuclear weapon, despite assessments from his own intelligence chiefs that such an outcome was not imminent.
Asked on Air Force One if there’s any guarantee that US bombs could actually reach underground Iranian nuclear bunkers and destroy them, Trump said, “There’s no guarantee in anything.”
And he issued a warning to Iran that targeting American troops in the region would lead to a dramatic escalation in the conflict.
“We’ll come down so hard, it’d be gloves off,” he said.
CNN’s Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.
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