U.S. Media: U.S. Military Commander in the Middle East Reports "For the First Time" to Trump on Military Action Plans Against Iran

[Global Network Report] According to the American Axios news website, U.S. officials and informed sources revealed that Brad Cooper, the top military commander in the Middle East and commander of the U.S. Central Command, reported to President Trump on February 26 local time about various options for military action against Iran.

It was reported that this was the first time Cooper briefed Trump since the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran last December. U.S. officials stated that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley also attended the briefing.

Axios noted that as Cooper was briefing Trump, the U.S. and Iran were holding the third round of indirect negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on the same day. Many within the Trump administration believe that this negotiation is the last diplomatic effort before Trump decides whether to go to war with Iran. Senior U.S. officials told Axios that the negotiations were progressing "positively," but did not provide further details immediately. Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif stated that on the 26th, there was a consensus on some issues in the negotiations with the U.S., while other issues still had differences, and a new round of talks would be held next week.

U.S. media reported that as the scale of U.S. military forces gathering around Iran increases, analysts believe that the possibility of President Trump taking action against Iran is growing day by day. From the successive convergence of stealth fighter jets, early warning aircraft, and refueling planes in the air, to the arrival of two aircraft carrier strike groups at sea, the U.S. military has completed "the largest buildup in decades" in the Middle East. On the 24th, Bloomberg published an analysis by former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Stavridis, stating that the U.S. military is prepared to take military action against Iran.