CENTCOM chief briefs Trump on Iran military options in meeting with Hegseth, Caine - report

Jerusalem Post/Middle East/Iran NewsVance has reportedly reached out to Iran to revive peace negotiations, although Trump dismissed the reports, saying the communication regarded medical equipment. Follow us on GoogleAdm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16. Israel became part of the US Central Command in 2021. (photo credit: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)OCTOBER 29, 2026 21:58US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper, the top US commander in the Middle East, briefed US President Donald Trump on military options for Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing US officials and others with direct knowledge of the meeting. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, and other cabinet members were also present, according to the report. This comes a day after the military leaders met with Vice President JD Vance, one of the people told the WSJ. Vance has reportedly reached out to Iran to revive peace negotiations, although Trump dismissed the reports, saying Vance had communicated with the Iranians only to discuss shortages of medical equipment.US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shakes hands with US President Donald Trump onstage during an event at Sparrows Point Shipyard, in Baltimore County, Maryland, US, October 6, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Eric Lee)US warns Gulf states to be prepared for campaignThe US had told multiple Gulf Arab countries to be prepared for a short, intense military campaign after the US midterm elections, WSJ previously reported, and the US appears to be readying for another attack, sending an additional Patriot system to Israel and moving troops off bases where they were more vulnerable to escalation.Additional air defenses, munitions, and supplies have also been sent to the region, according to the report.Iran has warned both publicly and privately that it will attack a wide variety of US and Gulf state targets if the US strikes. Follow us on Google