BREAKING: Trump Convened Emergency Iran War Council - Pentagon Strike Plans Ready
Trump convenes emergency national security meeting at Virginia golf club with Vance, Rubio, Ratcliffe and Witkoff to weigh military options against Iran as ceasefire teeters and the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
President Donald Trump gathered his top national security officials Saturday at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia for an urgent closed-door session on the path forward with Iran, as a fragile ceasefire shows signs of collapse and the Strait of Hormuz remains choked off to global shipping.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff all attended the meeting, which took place just hours after Trump returned from a high-stakes state visit to China, a nation with close ties to Iran.
Strike Options on the Table
The Pentagon has prepared a series of military target plans should Trump ultimately decide to move forward with more strikes, including targeted strikes on energy and infrastructure sites inside Iran. Trump is expected to convene a follow-up national security meeting early this week, with a decision on renewed military action potentially imminent.
Trump has grown increasingly impatient with how Tehran has been handling diplomatic negotiations and remains frustrated with the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global oil prices.
A Ceasefire on "Massive Life Support"
The emergency gathering comes amid rapidly deteriorating diplomacy. Trump declared the monthlong ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran to be on "massive life support," saying he was more seriously considering a resumption of major combat operations than at any point in recent weeks.
The two sides have exchanged fire repeatedly since the ceasefire took effect, with the U.S. saying its destroyers launched "self-defense strikes" after coming under attack. The U.S. has insisted those exchanges do not constitute a formal end to the ceasefire.
Oil prices have climbed in response to Trump's rejection of Iran's latest terms, sparking fears of fresh escalation that would keep the vital Strait of Hormuz closed even longer. Brent crude rose over 2% to $111 a barrel.
The Hormuz Deadlock
Over the weekend, Iran said it had reimposed "strict control" over the Strait of Hormuz, reversing its declaration a day earlier that the vital shipping lane was fully open, citing an ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Vance said Iran is "promising to reopen" the Strait but told reporters he's "seeing signs" of that shift without specifying a timeline. He warned: "If we don't see that happening, the president is not going to abide by our terms."
Pakistan and Qatar Racing to Save Talks
Pakistan's interior minister visited Tehran on Saturday and Sunday for talks with senior Iranian leaders. Pakistan serves as the official mediator between the U.S. and Iran, while Qatar's Prime Minister also spoke with his Pakistani counterpart and with Iran's foreign minister.
Trump told Axios he still believes Iran wants a deal and said he is waiting for an updated Iranian proposal, one he hopes will be better than the last. Iran's leadership, however, showed no sign of backing down, with Tehran officials insisting it is U.S. presence in the region that is driving instability.
Trump Also Spoke With Netanyahu
Trump also spoke Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a spokesman for the prime minister and a U.S. official.