Trump Not Rushing to Decide on Strikes Against Iran, Three Internal Positions Emerge

On November 3 that, according to Jinshi Data, U.S. President Trump stated in an interview with Axios that he is not rushing to decide whether to resume military operations against Iran, noting that the United States has already dealt a significant economic blow to Iran. He said that U.S.-Iran contacts remain ongoing, and Iran is more eager to reach a deal than ever before, but the level of urgency displayed by Tehran falls short of U.S. expectations. Mediators from Qatar have drafted a three-day phased confidence-building plan aimed at resuming direct U.S.-Iran negotiations, and are currently awaiting feedback from both parties.

Trump currently faces three distinct policy approaches. Vice President Vance and White House envoy Witkoff support resolving the situation through a negotiated agreement; Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Secretary Hegseth advocate restarting military action, viewing Iran as untrustworthy; Treasury Secretary Bessent, CIA Director Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Rubio favor maintaining the status quo of no war and no deal, continuing with economic pressure instead. Ratcliffe informed Trump that prolonged economic pressure would force Iran to make further concessions, or create sufficient domestic instability to provoke a popular uprising.