Axios: Trump leaned toward striking Iran for a week, but never gave the order

The U.S. military was ready by order of the U.S. President Donald Trump to strike Iran, but it never came. This was reported by the media Axios citing four U.S. officials, two Israeli officials, and two other interlocutors familiar with the matter.

On Wednesday morning, dozens of senior military, political, and diplomatic officials in Washington and the Middle East believed that American bombs would be dropped on Tehran within hours.

Later, it became clear that there would be no order, two U.S. officials said. Over the past week, Trump has at various times been leaning toward striking the Iranian regime for its brutal suppression of protests.

However, due to the lack of military equipment in the region, warnings from allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, concerns among high-ranking aides about the consequences and effectiveness of strike options, and secret negotiations through unofficial channels with the Iranians, the American president decided not to do so.

Although Trump first threatened on January 2 to intervene if the regime "brutally kills peaceful protesters," it took several days before his administration began to see the protests as a key moment for Iran.

Due to limited information about the events on the ground, U.S. intelligence initially assessed the protests as not vigorous enough to pose a serious threat to the regime. The situation changed on January 8, when protests in Tehran and other cities intensified dramatically.

On Friday, January 9, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance chaired the first high-level meeting at the White House to discuss in detail a possible US military response, according to US officials. By that time, Iranian security forces had begun killing dozens of protesters and the country's Internet was completely shut down.

Over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi contacted Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss a diplomatic path to de-escalation. In a few days, this unofficial channel of communication will play a significant role in the US president's decision-making.

On January 13, Trump was presented with several military options, including strikes on Iranian regime targets across the country from warships and submarines. Trump narrowed the range of these options and asked for preparations to be completed. A US official said the strike plan was ready after the US president spoke with his team on Tuesday, but the meeting ended without a clear decision.

U.S. officials said that on January 14, there was a serious expectation within the administration – and in the capitals of the Middle East, including Iran – that Trump would "green light" the strike.

U.S. troops began evacuating from the air base in Qatar and the Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain. The Iranian regime was convinced of an American attack and issued a notice to close its airspace. At the same time, Trump decided to wait.

"He wanted to continue to monitor the situation," a White House official said.

"The situation was critical. The military was ready to act very quickly, but the order did not come," said a second U.S. official.

During a telephone conversation earlier that day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for caution. He told Trump that Israel is not prepared to defend itself against a possible Iranian retaliation, especially given that the United States does not have enough resources in the region to help Israel intercept Iranian missiles and drones.

In addition, Netanyahu believed that the US plan was not strong enough and would not be effective, according to one of his advisers.

According to another interlocutor, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman also spoke with Trump and expressed deep concern about the implications for regional stability.

While it is difficult to know what Trump is thinking, several U.S. officials have said that Netanyahu's warnings and team briefings about the threats to U.S. forces from an Iranian retaliatory strike were important factors.

Another factor that influenced Trump's decision was the messages he sent and received through the diplomatic channel between Vitkoff and Araghchi.

On Wednesday morning, Araghchi sent a message to Witkoff promising to postpone the planned executions of protesters "and stop the killing," two U.S. officials said. Later, Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office and disclosed the message he received from the Iranians.

At this point, according to US officials, it became clear that Trump was moving toward de-escalation, at least in the short term. On Thursday, Trump admitted that the messages he received from the Iranians influenced his decision.

"Over the past week, there have been numerous reports, fueled by anonymous sources, speculating about President Trump's position on Iran. The truth is that no one but the president himself knows what he will do about Iran," said White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt, adding that Trump has many options.

Although it has so far refrained from striking, a military operation against Iran is still quite possible. U.S. officials say a new decision point could come within weeks.

• January 2, 2026 Trump promised to intervene if the Iranian authorities use force to suppress protests caused by economic problems.
• On January 12, the US president announced the introduction of new 25% secondary tariffs against those who work with Iran.
• On January 15, the US Treasury imposed sanctions against 18 Iranian individuals and legal entities Washington considers them to be involved in the brutal suppression of peaceful protests.