President Trump is expected to receive a briefing Thursday from U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper on new plans for potential military action against Iran. The briefing, first reported by Axios on April 30, comes as the administration simultaneously pushes allies to join a new international maritime coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.

The message from the White House is straightforward: the naval blockade stays until Iran agrees to a deal on its nuclear program. Military options remain on the table if Tehran refuses to budge.

Trump made his position clear after rejecting an Iranian proposal that would have eased the blockade first and pushed nuclear negotiations to a later stage. He told Axios the blockade is “somewhat more effective than bombing” and that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

That rejection set the stage for Thursday’s expected briefing, which will reportedly include several distinct military options that CENTCOM has been preparing.

Axios reported that Adm. Cooper is expected to present Trump with new plans for potential military action, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine also expected to attend the briefing. Two sources with knowledge of the meeting told the outlet what the president will hear.

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Among the options CENTCOM has prepared is a short and powerful wave of strikes against Iran, likely targeting infrastructure, designed to break the current negotiating deadlock. The idea behind the strikes is to hit hard enough that Tehran returns to the table with more flexibility on its nuclear program. A second option focuses on taking over part of the Strait of Hormuz itself in order to reopen it to commercial shipping. One source told Axios such an operation could include ground forces. A third option that has been discussed involves a special forces operation to secure Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The briefing signals that Trump is weighing whether to resume major combat operations, either to shatter the logjam or to deliver a decisive blow before ending the conflict on American terms. Sources told Axios that Trump currently views the blockade as his primary source of leverage over Tehran but would consider military action if Iran continues to refuse meaningful concessions. As of Tuesday night, Axios reported, Trump had not ordered kinetic action. The White House did not respond to Axios’s requests for comment.

The range of options is notable. A strike campaign, a ground-supported operation in one of the world’s most critical waterways, and a special forces raid on uranium stockpiles represent three very different escalation levels, and all three are reportedly heading to the president’s desk at once.

While the military track sharpens, so does the diplomatic one. The administration is not just squeezing Iran alone. It wants allies to share the burden of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open once conditions allow.

Reuters reported on April 30 that the Trump administration is actively pushing other countries to form an international coalition to restore freedom of navigation in the strait, citing an internal State Department cable.

The cable described a new initiative called the Maritime Freedom Construct, a joint State Department and Pentagon effort approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The cable invited partner nations to contribute to the coalition and framed the effort as a first step toward building a post-conflict maritime security architecture for the broader Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed two months into the conflict, disrupting a significant share of global oil and gas supply and fueling fears of prolonged energy-price spikes.

France, Britain, and other countries have already held preliminary talks about contributing to the coalition. However, some nations told Washington they would be willing to help reopen the strait only after the conflict ends, a condition that underscores how delicate the diplomacy remains. The cable was due to be delivered orally to partner nations by May 1. Oil prices have surged on fears that the disruption to Hormuz shipping could drag on, putting additional pressure on both Tehran and Washington to find a resolution before economic damage spreads further across the global economy.

The strategy taking shape here has a clear logic: keep the blockade as the primary chokehold, build an international coalition so the U.S. is not shouldering the maritime mission alone, and hold credible military options in reserve so Iran’s leaders understand what happens if they keep stalling. Trump is not bluffing about the blockade, and Thursday’s CENTCOM briefing will ensure he is not bluffing about the alternatives either. Whether Iran reads the situation correctly is now the only real question left.

 

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