By Alayna Treene, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump met with top members of his national security team on Saturday to discuss the path forward on the Iran war, a source familiar with the meeting told CNN, a day before he said Tehran “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! President DJT,” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and special envoy Steve Witkoff all attended the meeting at the president’s Virginia golf club, the source said. The gathering occurred just hours after Trump arrived back in Washington from a high-stakes visit to China, a nation with close ties to Iran.
Trump has grown increasingly impatient with how Tehran has been handling diplomatic negotiations and remains frustrated with the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global oil prices. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump and his team held off on deciding how to proceed with Tehran during his visit to Beijing, with several administration officials telling CNN they wanted to see how the talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping played out before determining a path forward.
In recent days, Trump has more seriously considered resuming major combat operations in Iran as a way to force them to a compromise to end the war, CNN previously reported, despite his preference to settle the conflict diplomatically.
Trump is expected to meet again with his national security team regarding the war early this week, the source said.
The Pentagon has prepared a series of military target plans should Trump ultimately decide to move forward with more strikes, sources familiar with the talks said, including targeted strikes on energy and infrastructure sites in Iran.
Axios first reported on Saturday’s meeting.
Trump also spoke Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a spokesman for the prime minister and a US official told CNN.
On the Iran side, there are no new indications that top officials are ready to back down. Iranian media reported Sunday that Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi had met with top Iran officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian. Pakistan has acted as the primary mediator during the US-Iran peace talks.
During those meetings, Tehran officials said the United States’ presence in the Middle East was causing instability in the region. According to the Iran-linked Tasnim news agency, Pezeshkian said that the US and Israel “have always tried to pit Islamic nations against one another through divisive projects and by fostering distrust” even as “Iran seeks sincere, stable relations based on good neighborliness with the region’s Islamic countries.”
CNN’s Aida Karimi and Issy Ronald contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
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