Posted on 01/14/26
| News Source: Arutz-7
US President Donald Trump has instructed his national security team that any potential US military action in Iran must deliver a swift and decisive blow to the regime rather than trigger a prolonged conflict, NBC News reported Wednesday, citing a US official, two people familiar with the discussions and a person close to the White House.
“If he does something, he wants it to be definitive," one of the people familiar with the discussions told NBC News.
However, Trump’s advisers have not been able to assure him that the Iranian regime would quickly collapse following a US strike, the US official and two people familiar with the talks told the network.
Officials are also concerned that the US may lack sufficient assets in the region to counter what they expect would be an aggressive Iranian response, according to the report.
These factors could lead Trump to authorize a more limited initial strike while keeping escalation options available - if he chooses to act at all, the US official and one person familiar with the discussions said.
They emphasized that the situation is evolving rapidly and that as of Wednesday afternoon no decisions had been made.
Asked about Trump’s deliberations, a White House official pointed to the President’s remarks in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
In those remarks, Trump told reporters, "We have been notified pretty strongly that the killing in Iran is stopping, and there's no plan for executions or an execution."
He noted that "I've been told that in good authority. We'll find out about it, I'm sure. If it happens, we'll be very upset."
The President attributed the information to "very important sources on the other side and they said that the killing has stopped and the executions won't take place. There were supposed to be a lot of executions today, but the executions won't take place. We're going to find out. I'll find out after this, you'll find out."