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U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper briefed President Donald Trump in person Thursday on Iran military options, a rare White House visit as the U.S. weighs resuming major combat operations, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing U.S. officials and people with knowledge of the meeting.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine joined Cooper at the meeting, which included other cabinet members and also covered the continuing U.S. blockade, according to the Journal.
Cooper rarely briefs Trump in person, and the meeting could signal the U.S. is moving closer to significant military operations, the newspaper reported.
The gathering followed a Wednesday White House session in which the military officers met Vice President JD Vance, one person said.
“President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” a White House official told Voice of America (VOA). "We do not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist."
"We may do another little Epic Fury," Trump said at a rally last week. "Or they’ll agree."
"We know exactly what is going on at Pickaxe Mountain, we know the other three are obliterated, we watch, we have entrances on every one of those that we blew up," Trump told Fox News on Sunday.
At least 10 U.S. military cargo planes landed at Ovda and Nevatim air bases in southern Israel, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported, with additional planes sent to bases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Some departed from Fort Bliss in Texas, a major U.S. air defense center.
"Israel and the United States are coordinating closely, and although no decision has yet been made on the matter, the Americans and Israel are preparing for any decision President Donald Trump makes," an Israeli official told KAN.
The Army is moving an additional Patriot battery to Israel amid concerns over a shortfall in interceptors, the Journal reported. The Pentagon has also sent air defenses, munitions and supplies to the region and moved some troops off vulnerable bases.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who said he had been briefed on classified planning, criticized the plans.
"You’ve heard a preview that it would be a short-duration plan. I’ll just say this: their plan is insane," Murphy said at the Middle East Institute on Wednesday. "It will lead to devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law."
"Our base in Bahrain is obliterated; it is not usable, and our base in Qatar is usable but at a much lower level capacity," Murphy said.
He also accused the administration of a "cover-up" of the war’s costs.
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Iran has threatened publicly and privately to attack a broad array of U.S. and Gulf targets in response to any U.S. strike, and has resumed making ballistic missiles using stockpiled components in underground facilities.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi told the U.N. Security Council this week that Iran had not provided information and access needed to verify declared nuclear material.
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, and a ceasefire was reached in April. Cooper’s briefing on Iran military options comes days before the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.
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