Trump Says Iran Decision Coming Soon as Qatar Pushes Deal

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will soon decide whether to resume major military strikes on Iran, after meeting with his national security advisers for the first time since the midterm elections. Meanwhile, diplomacy is moving through Qatar on two tracks: a mediator's draft deal, and a nuclear proposal Tehran says it has sent Washington.

"Now we will make a decision," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Nov. 5. He said he was weighing whether to "go further" with strikes to ensure Iran's nuclear program was dead and that "it will never happen again." He added: "I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough."

The war began Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran; a shaky truce took hold in April, and the United States later blockaded Iranian ports.

Three options on the table

Axios reported that Trump is considering three paths: launching new strikes, continuing to tighten economic pressure on Iran, or reaching an agreement that includes significant concessions from Tehran. The meeting was part of his weekly intelligence briefing, according to two U.S. officials cited by Axios.

Trump also dismissed reports that Iran was weighing nuclear proposals — "They're not doing anything without our approval," he said — even as Reuters reported that Tehran had sent its own proposal to Washington.

Ready, but not ordered

The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of renewed major combat operations, but it has not been ordered to carry them out. A U.S. official told Axios that U.S. Central Command is finalizing those preparations, though it has not received a new directive from Washington.

One timing signal is the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, stopping in Singapore from Friday and not due to reach Central Command's area of responsibility before mid-November.

The Qatar draft: two days, step by step

Qatari mediators have been discussing a draft with both Tehran and the White House that would sequence confidence-building steps over two days, regional sources told Axios. On the first day, the United States would lift its naval blockade and release some of Iran's frozen funds; Iran would then formally invite the International Atomic Energy Agency to send inspectors to nuclear sites damaged in the war.

On the second day, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, followed by nuclear talks focused on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The terms are proposed, not agreed — no deal has been announced.

Tehran's proposal and seven conditions

Separately, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran has sent the United States its own nuclear proposal through Qatar, and that Washington is reviewing it. Tehran says it will discuss that proposal only after the United States meets seven demands.

The demands, as reported by the Times of Israel, include compensation for war damage, release of frozen Iranian assets, lifting sanctions and ending the U.S. naval blockade — plus U.S. troops leaving the region, a permanent end to the war and a pledge not to threaten Iran again. The full text of Iran's proposal has not been made public.

Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday and said Tehran had presented its seven conditions — and that until they are met, "neither the Strait of Hormuz will be opened nor will there be any negotiations."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called counterparts Thursday in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Oman and Egypt. On Friday, Trump called Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about ending the war, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.

What happens next

The decision is genuinely undecided: Axios reporting described Vice President JD Vance urging a negotiated settlement, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed Trump to resume strikes. BBC Verify reported Friday that satellite imagery shows Iran rebuilding at missile bases — a point for those urging speed, though rebuilding is not a restored program.

Watch for Trump's decision, any new directive to Central Command, and any softening of Tehran's seven conditions — the Strait of Hormuz is a critical oil-shipping passage, so the outcome reaches well beyond the region. As of Friday night, Nov. 6, preparations are being finalized, a proposal is on the table, and no order has been given.