U.S. President Donald Trump is increasingly relying on a small circle of advisers as he weighs whether to order U.S. military strikes against Iran targeting its nuclear program, according to two defense officials and a senior administration official, NBC News reports, writes UNN.
Details
At the same time, another senior administration official said Trump had been "crowdsourcing" with a wide array of allies outside the White House and within his administration about whether they think he should give the green light for strikes against Iran – a question that has divided his top lieutenants.
Despite regularly asking a wider group of people what they think he should do, Trump has a tendency to make many decisions with input from only a handful of administration officials, including Vice President Jay D. Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as acting national security adviser, a senior administration official said. Trump also leans on his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, when he weighs decisions that fall within his purview, the official said.
As he decides whether the United States should directly engage in war with Iran, Trump has broadened his circle in some respects but narrowed it in others, the outlet writes. He has sidelined Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who opposes U.S. strikes against Iran, and he has not regularly consulted U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth within his decision-making process, according to two defense officials and a senior administration official.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell pushed back on the notion that Hegseth had not been actively involved.
"This assertion is absolutely false. The secretary speaks with the president multiple times a day every day and was with the president in the Situation Room this week," Parnell said in a statement. "Secretary Hegseth provides the leadership necessary for the Department of Defense and our Armed Forces, and he will continue to work diligently in support of President Trump's 'Peace Through Strength' agenda."
Trump is listening to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command; and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the two defense officials and a former administration official said.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump will make a decision on whether the United States should intervene in the Israeli-Iranian conflict within the next two weeks.
Trump gave Iran two weeks before deciding on a strike - White House19.06.25, 21:29 • [views_4069]
Unlike virtually every president before him since World War II, Trump does not rely on senior officials to meticulously prepare foreign policy and military options and then brief him on them in a structured, deliberative way, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
He discusses foreign policy with officials in his administration, as well as a wide array of foreign leaders and outside contacts. But those discussions are more informal and free-flowing. As a result, the two sources said, officials or senior military commanders may have fewer opportunities to challenge his assumptions or voice concerns about a course of action.
When Trump announced last month that he was removing sanctions on Syria after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, officials were caught off guard, two sources briefed on the matter said. Treasury Department officials were not warned that he was going to make such an announcement, and no technical preparations were made to carry out the move, which requires discussions with foreign banks and Syrian government officials, the sources said.
Following his return to the White House in January, Trump drastically cut back the National Security Council, which traditionally works with other federal agencies to develop policy options and determine their potential consequences, especially when it comes to possible military action.
The White House confirmed that Iran and the US held direct talks19.06.25, 21:48 • [views_4671]