JERUSALEM (VINnews) U.S. President Donald Trump has recently considered the possibility of returning to a broad military strike against Iran, but at this stage he has decided to continue on the diplomatic track and give negotiations with Tehran more time, even if they extend beyond the deadline set for August 18, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

According to American officials, Trump recently held several conversations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, during which options for expanding strikes against Iran were presented to him. The discussions focused on whether Washington should abandon negotiations and resume large-scale attacks, which some officials described as “finishing the job.”

Despite this, Trump told his aides he fears that another round of strikes could derail the talks and reduce the chances of ultimately dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. At the same time, he made clear that he sees no problem with the negotiations continuing beyond the deadline, and that at this stage he is satisfied with limited, targeted strikes against Iran in response to violations of the understanding.

The tension between the sides escalated in recent days following exchanges of attacks that disrupted the fragile ceasefire reached about two weeks earlier. However, the White House emphasizes that Trump’s priority remains diplomacy. “The Iranians would be wise to make a good deal with the United States,” a White House official said.

Publicly, Trump continues to project confidence: “They agree to everything I want, and they have to,” he said last week. “Otherwise, we’ll just go back and do what we need to do.”

Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with Fox News that Trump instructed his team to “work on the problem and see where the negotiations lead.” According to him, if diplomacy does not succeed, the United States “still has many options.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s envoys on Iran, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in Doha on Tuesday for another round of talks, but the discussions were held indirectly through mediators rather than directly with Iranian representatives. Technical teams from both countries are also expected to hold indirect talks this week.

One of the central points of dispute concerns the Strait of Hormuz. Iran insists on charging billions of dollars in transit fees for ships passing through the strait, while the United States demands free passage as before the war. At the same time, Tehran refuses to accept strict limitations on its nuclear program, even though Trump claims it has already committed to them.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that “Iran is still not cooperating at all,” adding that U.S. naval escort operations for ships are the main reason for the recovery in global oil supply. “With Iran or without it, we will ensure the flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

At the same time, the United States is working to establish a direct communication channel for crisis management between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and U.S. Central Command. Some officials in Washington see this as a cautious sign of improved relations, while others stress it is only an initial step. The White House says the channel is already open and being used by both sides.

The deadlock in negotiations is pushing Trump to consider alternatives. Hegseth and Caine presented options for renewed large-scale airstrikes against military sites in Iran, but American officials note that since the ceasefire Trump has repeatedly refrained from approving broad military action.

As part of Operation “Epic Fury,” which began on February 28, U.S. forces struck more than 13,000 targets across Iran, damaging much of Tehran’s missile and drone arsenal as well as its production capabilities. By late March, Trump was told it would take several more weeks to fully eliminate Iran’s military threat, but on April 7 he agreed to an initial ceasefire.

Trump has previously threatened to “wipe out Iranian civilization” and even seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, but has repeatedly pulled back and returned to negotiations. According to officials, he has said he would only resume the war if Iran kills American soldiers.

“If we bomb them, and we can do it easily, they will have nothing left, but the strait will remain closed for months,” Trump said in June. “Many people would die. Who wants that? I don’t.” He added that a deal would be “stronger than bombs.”

Iran expert Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution said Trump still has intermediate options: delaying access to billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds or continuing to raise the cost Tehran pays for trying to control the Strait of Hormuz. She said this strategy is limited, but a combination of predictable American responses and conditional economic incentives could prevent Iran from pushing too far.