Officials quietly floating a strategy: let Israel fire first — then the U.S. follow. What’s behind the calculus?
Senior advisers to President Donald Trump would reportedly prefer Israel to launch a strike on Iran before the United States does, believing that an initial Israeli attack could bolster domestic support for subsequent American military action, according to a Politico report.
Sources familiar with private discussions say some in Trump’s inner circle think a unilateral Israeli strike — followed by Iranian retaliation — would make it politically easier for the U.S. to justify its own response. The officials were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations.
The reported strategy comes as the U.S. and Iran prepare for another round of nuclear talks in Geneva, seen as a last chance for diplomacy. Washington has amassed warships and aircraft in the Middle East to press Tehran to agree to tighter limits on its nuclear and missile programs.
While the administration is publicly emphasizing negotiation, insiders say options on the table range from limited strikes designed to pressure Iran into concessions to broader operations targeting nuclear and missile infrastructure. A joint U.S.–Israel operation remains a possibility according to the same sources.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly declined to comment on internal deliberations, saying only that “only President Trump knows what he may or may not do.”
The discussions reflect high-stakes geopolitics and political considerations ahead of possible escalation — raising questions about how U.S. policy might unfold if diplomacy collapses.
