Key keywords: Donald Trump, US national security officials, Iran policy next steps, US-Iran military tensions, Middle East geopolitics, precision strike options, Iran nuclear deal, US regional allies, IRGC sanctions On Thursday, former President and current U.S. leader Donald Trump convened a closed-door, 2-hour meeting with his top national security cabinet members at the White House Situation Room, to deliberate a slate of policy responses to Iran’s recent escalatory actions across the Middle East. The urgent meeting was scheduled just 48 hours after U.S. intelligence confirmed that Iran-backed proxy militias carried out a drone strike on a U.S. outpost in northeastern Jordan that injured 12 U.S. service members, alongside new data showing Tehran has accelerated uranium enrichment to 60% purity, a threshold just steps away from weapons-grade material. Attendees of the meeting included Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, Central Command Commander General Michael Kurilla, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and senior State Department advisors focused on Middle East diplomatic relations. The team presented Trump with 5 distinct response frameworks, ranging from escalated economic sanctions targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leadership and Iran’s global oil smuggling networks, limited precision strikes on IRGC training facilities and proxy weapons supply routes in Syria and Iraq, to conditional diplomatic overtures tied to Iran’s commitment to roll back enrichment activities and cut funding to militant groups operating across the region. Multiple sources with knowledge of the discussion noted that Trump stressed two non-negotiable priorities during the talks: protecting all U.S. personnel and interests stationed in the Middle East, and avoiding a prolonged, large-scale ground war that would draw U.S. forces back into years of regional conflict. He also directed the team to coordinate closely with key U.S. regional allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates before finalizing any action, to ensure a unified response that minimizes risk of unplanned escalation. As of press time, Trump has not yet announced a final decision, but administration officials noted he is expected to share his plans with bipartisan congressional leaders early next week. Geopolitical analysts warn that any military action against Iran could trigger retaliatory attacks on U.S. civilian and military assets, disrupt global oil supplies, and destabilize the entire region for years, while a failure to respond to recent attacks could embolden Tehran to carry out more aggressive actions in the coming months.