Trump relies on a small circle of advisers as he weighs the Iranian strikes

Washington – President Donald Trump relies more and more on a small group of advisers for a critical contribution when he weighs If it is necessary to order an American military action in Iran Targeting its nuclear program, according to two defense officials and a senior administration official.

At the same time, said another senior administration, Trump was crowdsourcing with a range of allies outside the White House and in his administration to find out if they think he should strike Greenlight in Iran – a question that has divided his main supporters.

Although he has systematically asked a wider group of people what they think should do, Trump tends to make many decisions with just a handful of administration officials, including vice-president JD Vance, the Chief of the White House Susie Wiles, the deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also the National Security Advisor, said administration. Trump is also based on his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, when he weighs decisions that come under his portfolio, said the manager.

As he decides to directly involve the United States in a war with Iran, Trump has widened his circle in some respects while narrowing it in others. He has Tulsi Gabbard, national director of national intelligence sidelined,which opposes the American strikes in Iran, and he did not regularly turn to the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as part of his decision -making process, according to the two defense officials and the senior administration official.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Sean Parnell, rejected the idea that Hegseth was not strongly involved.

“This statement is completely false. The secretary speaks with the president several times a day a day and was with the president in the situation room this week,” said Parnell in a statement. “Secretary Hegseth provides leaders from the Ministry of Defense and our armed forces, and he will continue to work with diligence by supporting President Trump’s peace by the Agenda of Force.”

Asset listen General Dan Caine, president of the joint staff chiefs; General Erik Kurilla, the commander of the American central command; And CIA director John Ratcliffe, the two defense officials and a former administration official.

The press secretary of the White House Karoline Leavitt Spoke to journalists Thursday Let Trump decide whether the United States should get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks.

Unlike almost all presidents before him since the Second World War, Trump does not count on senior officials to carefully prepare foreign policy and military options, then discuss it with him in a structured and deliberate manner, according to two sources with knowledge of the question.

He discusses foreign policy with officials of his administration, as well as a myriad of foreign leaders and contacts outside the government. But these discussions are more informal and freewheeling. Consequently, there are undoubtedly less opportunities for officials or military commanders to question his assumptions or to raise concerns about a line of conduct, the two sources said.

When Trump announced last month that he raised sanctions against Syria after meeting the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin salmansaid senior officials, according to two sources knowing the question. The officials of the Treasury Department had not warned that he would make such an announcement, and no technical preparation had been made to make a stage which required discussions with foreign banks and officials of the Syrian government, the sources said.

Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has considerably reduced the National Security Council, which traditionally collaborates with other federal agencies to develop political options and describe their possible consequences, in particular with regard to possible military action.