President Donald Trump has reportedly been briefed on potential military options against Iran by the top US commander in the Middle East, on the same day American and Iranian officials held indirect talks in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, is said to have presented the options to Trump on Thursday, with General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also present, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

Neither side announced a breakthrough from the Geneva talks. Iran’s foreign minister said progress had been made and that “technical talks” would resume in Vienna next week.

Israel first strike option

Several Republicans and some Trump officials have privately pushed for Israel to lead any strike on Iran rather than the US acting first, two sources told ABC News. The idea has not been confirmed as Trump’s preferred approach. The president is said to be running out of patience with Tehran’s repeated refusal to halt uranium enrichment or cap its ballistic missile programme.

Analysts believe the Israel-first concept would shield Republican lawmakers from domestic backlash during a challenging election cycle, given Trump’s campaign pledge to end wars rather than start them. Should Israel strike and Iran hit back, Trump could frame any US response as honouring a cornerstone of American foreign policy stretching back decades.

Options on the table

The approach carries dangers, however. ABC News contributor Ramesh Ponnuru, editor of National Review, cautioned it risked being seen across the Middle East as an “Israeli-backed coup.”

“If it becomes an involved campaign and we take casualties, then you get some political risks,” Ponnuru said. “I think it’s important for President Trump to articulate the strategy and mission in Iran. But before that, he has to have a clear strategy and mission, and I don’t know that he has settled on that yet.”

White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly declined to be drawn on Trump’s intentions, saying: “The media may continue to speculate on the President’s thinking all they want, but only President Trump knows what he may or may not do.”

Among the scenarios being considered is a targeted strike on ballistic missile launchers and nuclear facilities — a limited action designed to pressure Tehran into meeting Trump’s demands. A broader campaign hitting a wider range of targets over an extended period is also under review.

An initial Israeli strike could serve twin purposes — applying pressure on Tehran in the diplomatic arena while stripping away layers of its air defence capability ahead of any deeper US military campaign targeting the regime itself. Analysts warn the latter could drag on for weeks, carry enormous risk and offer no certainty that whatever government emerged in Tehran would look more favourably on Washington’s interests. The fate of the 35,000 to 40,000 US troops stationed across the region remains a central concern.

A joint US-Israeli operation has not been ruled out. Washington has repositioned a large number of warships and combat aircraft into the region, placing them within range of Iranian territory.

Iran rebuilding nuclear programme

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe held a classified briefing for senior lawmakers on Tuesday, the details of which were not made public. Democrats said they valued being consulted, noting it was not a courtesy that had routinely been extended to them before major foreign policy decisions in the past.

Senator Mark Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters the situation amounted to “an extraordinary, serious time, [a] serious moment in the Middle East” and “a serious moment for America.”

Speaking to reporters in St Kitts on Wednesday, Rubio said Iran had been attempting to rebuild its nuclear programme since US strikes hit it last June. “You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it. They’re not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can,” he said.

Rubio added that Iran was also on a “pathway” to acquiring ballistic missiles with the range to strike the United States.