**The President Faces an Internal Struggle Over Iran Nuclear Diplomacy As His Administration Divides Between a Tough Approach and Cautious Dialogue.** Michael Waltz and Marco Rubio advocate for harsh action while top officials like JD Vance and Tulsi Gabbard push patience, creating uncertainty ahead of meetings with Putin.
Trump administration is threatening military strikes unless Iran eradicates its nuclear program. It remains unclear what outcome Trump is seeking and how long he is prepared to wait for it. divisions remain over the wisdom of talking versus fighting.
Gabbard recently selected a skeptic of Iran intervention, Navy Reserve officer William Ruger, as a top aide. “It seems to me that this is the maximum leverage we have ever had,” Dubowitz said, adding that Trump should be pushing for complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program. In Israel, as in Washington, there has been debate over whether it would be prudent to preemptively strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Officials from both governments have also wrestled with the question of whether a military operation would only temporarily set back — but not destroy — Iran’s nuclear program. Advertisement“I wouldn’t say [I] waved off” any thought of attacking Iran, Trump said Thursday as he repeated the Oval Office scene with another leader — Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.