[Herald Economy = Reporter Doh Hyun-jung] After President Donald Trump announced on the 18th (local time) that he would postpone a strike on Iran scheduled for the 19th—citing objections from Middle Eastern countries—he convened his security team and received a briefing on military options targeting Iran.
Axios reported on the 19th (local time), citing multiple U.S. officials, that Trump had convened his security team the previous day.
Those in attendance included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Keane, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and special envoy Steve Witkof. Officials said they shared updates on negotiations and were briefed on military options. Axios characterized the meeting as evidence that Trump was seriously weighing a resumption of strikes against Iran.
U.S. officials, however, told reporters that contrary to Trump’s account, there had been no final decision on the 18th to strike Iran on the 19th. The security meeting had been scheduled for the 19th to determine whether an attack should proceed. On the 18th, Trump posted on social media that he would postpone the planned strike the next day, and he convened the security meeting a few hours later.
Officials said appeals from Middle Eastern governments — warning of possible Iranian retaliation against oil infrastructure and urging a return to negotiations — played a real role in Trump’s decision to delay the operation. Axios reported that many officials were surprised by Trump’s abrupt announcement and that there remains some uncertainty inside the administration about next steps.
At a briefing with reporters that day, Trump said he announced the postponement about an hour before a final attack decision would have been made, and that the delay was intended to be brief—two or three days, or into early next week.
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