Trump Weighs Iran Strike as Ceasefire Hits 'Life Support'
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- Trump met with his national security team Monday to weigh resuming military action against Iran after Tehran rejected a U.S. peace proposal that officials had been waiting 10 days to receive.
- Iran's state TV reported Sunday that Tehran rejected the U.S. draft, calling it "Iran's surrender to Trump's excessive demands"; Trump responded: "I don't like it. It is inappropriate."
- Trump told reporters the ceasefire is "on massive life support" and claimed Iran had reversed course on an agreement to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile to the U.S., with the issue absent from Tehran's Sunday response.
- Monday's meeting was expected to include VP JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Dan Caine, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
- Two U.S. officials said Trump is leaning toward military action to "tune them up a bit"; oil prices rose on the comments, with Brent crude hovering near $105 a barrel in late trading.
- Options under review include resuming "Project Freedom" in the Strait of Hormuz, restarting the bombing campaign against the 25% of identified targets not yet struck, or a risky Special Forces operation to seize Iran's uranium that Israel is urging.
- Trump is scheduled to depart for China Wednesday and return Friday, and two U.S. officials said they do not expect him to authorize military action before he gets back; China has been pressing Iran to accept a deal, so far unsuccessfully.
Why it matters: Trump's China trip creates a hard timing constraint: officials said he won't order military action before returning Friday, giving diplomacy a narrow window. But oil markets are already pricing in escalation (Brent near $105), and Iran's refusal to surrender its enriched uranium stockpile means the core nuclear dispute driving the war would survive any tactical strike.
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