Trump ‘seriously considering’ launching new strikes against Iran: report

U.S. President Donald Trump is “seriously considering” launching caller strikes against Iran if last-minute negotiations bash not effect successful a bid deal, U.S. media outlet Axios reported connected Friday (May 22, 2026).

It said that Mr. Trump met with a elder nationalist information squad successful the greeting to sermon the warfare connected Iran adjacent arsenic Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir visited Tehran and was joined by a delegation from Qatar successful a last-minute bid to hammer retired a deal.

President Trump convened a gathering with his elder nationalist information squad regarding the warfare with Iran connected Friday (May 22, 2026) morning, 2 U.S. officials told Axios.

Mr. Trump is earnestly considering launching caller strikes against Iran barring a last-minute breakthrough successful negotiations, sources who person spoken straight with the President say.

Mr. Munir is expected to conscionable connected Saturday (May 23, 2026) with Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, the commandant of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a cardinal subordinate successful the Iranian decision-making process.

Axios reported that a U.S. authoritative briefed connected the diplomatic efforts described the negotiations arsenic "agonising" with drafts "going backmost and distant each day" without overmuch progress.

The Friday (May 22, 2026) greeting gathering astatine the White House with Trump was attended by Vice President J D Vance, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and different officials.

"Iran is dying to marque a deal. We’ll spot what happens. But we deed them hard, and we had nary prime due to the fact that Iran cannot person a atomic weapon. They cannot person it,” Mr. Trump said astatine an lawsuit astatine the White House connected Friday (May 22, 2026).

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters successful Sweden that “slight progress” was made during talks with Iran.

Mr. Rubio, who was successful Sweden for the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, said helium did not privation to exaggerate the advancement successful talks, saying determination had been “a small spot of movement, and that’s good”.

Mr. Trump visited New York for a governmental rally up of the mid-term elections successful November. Earlier, helium had planned to walk the play astatine the Bedminster Golf Club successful New Jersey, but cancelled it and returned to the White House connected Friday evening.

Mr. Trump besides wrote connected his Truth Social relationship that helium was not going to be his lad Don Jr.'s wedding this play owed to "circumstances pertaining to authorities and my emotion for the United States of America." "I consciousness it is important for maine to stay successful Washington, DC, astatine the White House during this important play of time," helium wrote.

A root adjacent to Mr. Trump and a 2nd root with cognition of the concern told Axios that Mr. Trump had grown progressively frustrated astir the negotiations with Iran implicit the past respective days.

On Tuesday (May 19, 2026) helium told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that helium wanted to springiness diplomacy different chance, but by Thursday night, helium was leaning toward ordering a strike, the 2 sources told Axios.

A root adjacent to Mr. Trump said the president has raised the anticipation of a last "decisive" large subject operation, aft which helium could state triumph and extremity the war.