Published On 1/7/2026
American officials told the Wall Street Journal that US President Donald Trump considered over the past few days a return to an all-out war with Iran, but he backed down and decided to continue the diplomatic path, while Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed that the Iranians did not attack any ships during the past two weeks.
The officials said that Trump held multiple conversations with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chief of Staff General Dan Keane, and the focus of the discussion was whether the United States should abandon negotiations and resume launching large-scale attacks on Iran, despite the fact that the two sides signed on June 18 a memorandum of understanding to end the war.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the diplomatic stalemate prompted Trump to consider alternative paths as he polled his aides in search of new ideas, and Hegseth and Kane presented options for resuming large-scale air strikes on Iranian military sites.
However, American officials reported that Trump decided to limit himself to diplomatic talks for the time being, and noted that he had repeatedly refrained from approving large-scale operations, as he had threatened to “wipe out Iranian civilization” and seize Khark Island, but he backed down in both cases.
Flexibility regarding the date of August 18
The same sources reported that Trump told his aides that he did not mind exceeding the deadline set for reaching an agreement with Tehran regarding its nuclear program on August 18, as the memorandum of understanding stipulates that negotiations on the final agreement be conducted within 60 days.
In the same context, a White House official told the Wall Street Journal that Trump always prefers a diplomatic solution, and “it is wise for the Iranians to conclude a good agreement with the United States.”
For his part, US Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News Channel, “The president asked us to follow the path of negotiations, and we have many options if they do not lead to a successful diplomatic solution.”
He continued, saying, “If Iran does not make the concessions we are waiting for, its nuclear program will remain destroyed and its military capabilities destroyed,” stressing that the United States is in an excellent position, whatever the outcome of the negotiations, as he put it.
Vance noted that the Iranians have not attacked any ships over the past two weeks and that oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. He added that President Trump “made clear that we will respond if the Iranians attack ships.”
Anti-conflict channel
American officials told the Wall Street Journal that establishing a crisis communication line between the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the US Central Command is evidence of improved relations between Washington and Tehran, but Tehran previously denied opening such a line.
The newspaper quoted a White House official as saying, “The deconfliction channel is open and is already in use by both sides.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard confirmed a few days ago that claims by American officials of establishing a direct line of communication regarding the Strait of Hormuz are pure fabrication, and that “the Strait is Iranian, and America has nothing to do with it.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the main points of contention currently is Iran’s insistence on imposing billions of dollars in service fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
