Donald Trump reportedly received a high-level briefing on Thursday from Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine on new military options against Iran.
Plans under discussion include a “short and powerful” wave of strikes on Iranian infrastructure, a possible operation to take control of parts of the Strait of Hormuz to restore shipping, and even a special forces mission to secure Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, Axios reported.
Earlier, Trump said the US had “already won” the war in Iran even as he continued to pressure Tehran to make a deal.
During an interview with Newsmax’s Greta Van Susteren, the president declared that the US had achieved victory, but said he wanted to win by a “bigger margin”.
“We’ve already won, but I want to win by a bigger margin,” he said. “But we have. We have destroyed their navy, destroyed their air force, destroyed all of their — if you look at their anti-aircraft equipment, their radar equipment, their leadership, their leadership is destroyed.”
Despite his insistence that Iran is already beaten, the president is continuing his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Briefing: What we know on the 63rd day of US-Israel war on Iran
- Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian calls the US “siege” of Iranian ports “intolerable”
- President Donald Trump says the US “might need” to restart the war and that “nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people”
- UN watchdog says Iran has enough enriched uranium for up to 10 nuclear bombs if weaponised
- Senior Democrat accuses Pete Hegseth of misleading Donald Trump on the Iran war
- Bahrain revokes citizenship of dozens accused of pro-Iran sympathies
Maroosha Muzaffar1 May 2026 04:04
Iranian president says US blockade of ports ‘doomed to fail’
Masoud Pezeshkian said a US naval blockade on Iranian ports would deepen disruptions in the Gulf while failing to achieve its aims.
“Any attempt to impose a maritime blockade or restrictions is contrary to international law… and is doomed to fail,” Pezeshkian said in a statement.
Maroosha Muzaffar1 May 2026 05:15
Iran has enough enriched uranium for 10 nuclear bombs, says United Nations watchdog
The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is believed to remain at its Isfahan nuclear complex, a site that has endured airstrikes last year and further attacks during this year’s US-Israeli conflict, according to the head of the UN nuclear agency.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated in an interview on Tuesday that the agency possesses satellite images illustrating the impact of the recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran, and that “we continue to get information.” IAEA inspections at Isfahan ceased in June 2025, when Israel initiated a 12-day war that saw the United States bomb three Iranian nuclear sites.
This stockpile could potentially enable Iran to construct as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it choose to weaponize its program, Grossi told The Associated Press last year.
Maroosha Muzaffar1 May 2026 04:56
Trump receives high-level briefing on fresh military options against Iran – report
Donald Trump has reportedly received a high-level briefing from Centcom Commander Admiral Brad Cooper on new military options against Iran.
Plans under discussion include a “short and powerful” wave of strikes on Iranian infrastructure, a possible operation to take control of parts of the Strait of Hormuz to restore shipping, and even a special forces mission to secure Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, Axios reported.
Brad Cooper had given Trump a similar briefing on 26 February, just two days before the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran.
Maroosha Muzaffar1 May 2026 04:36
