Brad Cooper Briefs Donald Trump on Iran Strike Options at the White House as US Buildup Grows

The top United States military commander for the Middle East briefed President Donald Trump in person at the White House on Thursday, October 29, 2026, on military options against Iran, as Washington weighs resuming major combat operations, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing United States officials and people familiar with the meeting. Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads United States Central Command (CENTCOM), was joined by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine, along with other Cabinet members, according to the report. The Journal noted that it is rare for the CENTCOM chief to brief the president directly — a sign, it said, that Washington may have moved a step closer to resuming large-scale operations. The meeting followed a White House session on Wednesday involving the military officials and Vice President JD Vance. Vance had earlier sent a letter, at Trump's direction, to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, seeking to restart negotiations and avert further strikes. Iran confirmed on Thursday that it had received the letter but said it had not yet responded, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Trump said on Wednesday that Vance's outreach was about helping Iran get medical supplies. A campaign after the midterms — but no decision yet. The Journal reported that administration officials have told Arab Gulf states to prepare for a possible short but intense military campaign against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections. Military drills have ramped up, targeting Iranian energy sites, nuclear facilities and arsenals of missiles and drones, according to the report. Trump could still decide against military action. The Pentagon has spent recent weeks preparing for a possible new bombing campaign, sending additional air defense systems, munitions and supplies to the region, while repositioning some troops away from installations considered vulnerable to Iranian retaliation. The Journal reported on Wednesday that the United States was sending a Patriot battery from Texas to strengthen air defenses in the region, and more than 10 United States military transport aircraft landed at Israeli airbases in southern Israel over the past week, according to analysts monitoring open-source flight-tracking data. The discussions come after the United States and Israeli bombing campaign against Iran earlier this year. Trump said at a rally in Florida on October 23 that the United States could carry out another "little Epic Fury" operation — a phrase he has used for a possible renewed strike — if Tehran fails to reach an agreement. Iran warns of retaliation. Iran has warned, publicly and through private diplomatic channels, that if the United States resumes attacks it will strike United States facilities in the Middle East and key sites in Gulf states allied with Washington, and target United States personnel in the region, according to the Journal. Tehran has also resumed producing ballistic missiles using stockpiled components at underground facilities, the report said. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Thursday that Washington's "carrot-and-stick approach" would not influence Tehran, and that progress toward peace talks rested on acceptance of Iran's seven conditions. A Pentagon spokesperson and a CENTCOM spokesperson both declined to comment to the Journal, and Reuters said it could not immediately independently verify the Journal's report. For now, the briefing does not mean Trump has decided to launch another campaign. Diplomacy and military preparation are running in parallel: a letter to Tehran on one side, and a growing American buildup across the Middle East on the other. Sources: The Wall Street Journal, "U.S. moves toward Iran strikes as Centcom chief briefs Trump on options," October 29, 2026, via Times of Israel, Times Now and Latestly/ANI; Reuters via Times of Israel, October 29, 2026.