Trump’s Decision on Iran Airstrikes to Be Influenced by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, the president has yet to make a final decision on any military action, as the administration awaits Iran’s latest proposal this week, ahead of what officials have described as a final round of negotiations set for Thursday in Geneva.

Witkoff and Kushner will lead those discussions, and their assessment of the likelihood of a deal will heavily influence Trump’s calculations. Should no agreement be reached, Trump has informed his advisers that he is considering targeted strikes to pressure Iran and, failing that, a broader military action aimed at forcing regime change.

A U.S. official stated on Monday that Witkoff is part of the team advising Trump on how to proceed with Iran and has participated in all related meetings.

Sources said Trump has received multiple briefings on military options, including the most recent session on Wednesday in the White House Situation Room. Over recent weeks, he has also sought input from a wide range of senior officials in the West Wing regarding possible courses of action toward Iran.

Other key advisers include Vice President JD Vance; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; CIA Director John Ratcliffe; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles; and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Vance has outlined both sides of the airstrike argument, but has pressed Caine on potential risks, particularly because he is far less confident in the chances of a successful strike against Iran than he was regarding the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

According to sources, Caine’s primary concern revolves around limited stocks of missile defense systems. After Trump’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites last year, the U.S. fired 30 Patriot missiles to intercept Iranian counterattacks, marking the largest single use of these missiles in American history.

Those prior counterattacks were limited in scope, but this time, Iran has pledged to respond as forcefully as possible to any U.S. action. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned last week that Iran has the capability to sink a U.S. warship.

Sources noted that Caine has voiced his concerns more strongly within the Pentagon than in briefings to Trump, which officials privately suggested may be an effort not to appear as advocating for a specific course of action.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated that Caine is “a highly respected professional whose role requires providing unbiased information to the Commander-in-Chief, which he does flawlessly,” emphasizing that he has not offered personal opinions.

Officials have discussed possible diplomatic “off-ramps” to avoid military conflict, including allowing Iran to retain limited nuclear enrichment capacity strictly for medical, research, or other civilian energy purposes.

Rubio is also expected to travel to Israel to brief Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the outcome of negotiations in meetings scheduled for February 28, according to sources.

Despite these diplomatic efforts, indications suggest that positions are hardening ahead of what could be the final negotiating session.

Witkoff told Fox News on Sunday that Trump’s directive is for Iran to maintain zero nuclear enrichment capability, whereas Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on CBS’s Face the Nation that Tehran is not prepared to abandon enrichment.

Preparing for the possibility of U.S. military action, Washington has deployed its largest concentration of airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion. The USS Gerald Ford, the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, is expected to arrive within days.

The carrier, which was moving south of Italy on Sunday en route to Israel, will become the second aircraft carrier in the region. Its deployment will add to dozens of advanced F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, alongside bombers and aerial refueling aircraft already in place.

This buildup provides Trump the option of conducting an extended air campaign against Iran, rather than a limited strike, such as last summer when B-2 bombers flew from the U.S. to strike a small number of enrichment sites in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.