{"id":601345,"date":"2026-02-19T15:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/601345\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T15:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:55:13","slug":"trump-goons-secret-war-meeting-exposed-as-tensions-spiral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/601345\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Goons\u2019 Secret War Meeting Exposed as Tensions Spiral"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The White House has been briefed that President Donald Trump could potentially launch a strike on Iran as soon as this Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">CNN on Wednesday cited sources that Trump had privately argued for and against military action against Iran, but had yet to finalize his decision despite discussing America\u2019s options with advisers and allies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Senior military officials met in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday to discuss Iran, <a onclick=\"_sendArticleBodyInlineLinkClickAnalytics(&#039;https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/18\/politics\/military-strike-trump-us-iran&#039;)\" href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/18\/politics\/military-strike-trump-us-iran\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/18\/politics\/military-strike-trump-us-iran\">CNN reported<\/a>. Trump had also been briefed by son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. The two men had indirect talks with Iran on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 18: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on February 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Leavitt spoke to reporters on a range of topics amid a partial government shutdown that has paused funding for the Department of Homeland Security.&#xA0; (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LAHVKRJW2BGOJBKA2ADOYOM5XA.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"533\"\/>Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said diplomacy was always Trump&#8217;s first option. Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cHe is spending a lot of time thinking about this,\u201d a source said of Trump. There is no indication if he will make up his mind by the weekend. The sources noted that there had been a major boost in U.S. air and naval assets deployed in the Middle East in recent days in preparation for a possible attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Sources <a onclick=\"_sendArticleBodyInlineLinkClickAnalytics(&#039;https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-possible-timeline-iran-strikes\/&#039;)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-possible-timeline-iran-strikes\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-possible-timeline-iran-strikes\/\">told CBS<\/a> that conversations over action in Iran have been \u201cfluid and ongoing\u201d, with the White House balancing the potential risk of escalating military action.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The Pentagon is in the process of temporarily relocating staff in the Middle East to Europe or the U.S. in preparation for counterattacks by Iran if Trump decides to instigate a strike, which is standard practice if any potential attack on an area is being considered.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi, US President Donald Trump's Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner meet ahead of the US-Iran talks, in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on February 06, 2026.\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SGBTQZBU5BAKBOT3IIYOIBWCDU.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"507\"\/>Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have been attending U.S.-Iran talks in Muscat, the capital of Oman. Anadolu\/Anadolu via Getty Images <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday Iran was due to share information on their negotiating position \u201cin the next couple of weeks,\u201d but did not say whether Trump would postpone military action until those details were made available. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not going to set deadlines on behalf of the president of the United States,\u201d Leavitt said, but insisted that while military action is a possibility, \u201cdiplomacy is always his first option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Leavitt added, \u201cThere\u2019s many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran,\u201d but noted that the president was \u201cfirst and foremost\u201d relying on advice from his administration. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">She said the administration had \u201ca very successful operation in June that targeted Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to the Fort Bragg U.S. Army base on February 13, 2026 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SGY3IWBKTBA7LD3ID7XEWI3WDE.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"533\"\/>Sources said Donald Trump had not yet made up his mind whether to attack Iran. Nathan Howard\/Getty Images <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cIran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with his administration,\u201d Leavitt said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Claiming the two countries are \u201cstill very far apart\u201d on some issues, Leavitt said \u201cthe Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks, and so the president will continue to watch how this plays out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 28 to provide him with an update on discussions with Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Israel would be expected to help any U.S. military action against Iran.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. This is the first time Rubio has testified before Congress since the Trump administration attacked Venezuela and seized President Nicolas Maduro, bringing him to the United States to stand trial. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HYOE26NPNZD4XFRKKWLLPZBLUU.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"533\"\/>Marco Rubio is due to head to Israel. Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Potential action on Iran from Trump follows a <a onclick=\"_sendArticleBodyInlineLinkClickAnalytics(&#039;https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/02\/18\/iran-war-trump-military-strikes-nuclear-talks&#039;)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/02\/18\/iran-war-trump-military-strikes-nuclear-talks\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/02\/18\/iran-war-trump-military-strikes-nuclear-talks\">report in Axios<\/a> earlier this week that the 79-year-old was becoming bored with ongoing nuclear talks and was ready to launch military action. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cThe boss is getting fed up. Some people around him warn him against going to war with Iran, but I think there is 90 percent chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks,\u201d one Trump adviser told Axios.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">However launching a war in the Middle East could further enrage Trump\u2019s supporter base who want him to focus on \u2018America First\u2019 policies, especially with the midterm elections in November on the horizon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The White House has been briefed that President Donald Trump could potentially launch a strike on Iran as&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":601346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[69,83,50,7332,67,132,68,131,5223],"class_list":{"0":"post-601345","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"category-us","9":"tag-donald-trump","10":"tag-iran","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pentagon","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us","16":"tag-war","17":"tag-white-house"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116098113920554743","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}