{"id":2571959,"date":"2026-02-20T13:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-floats-small-scale-iran-strike-as-negotiating-tactic\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T13:37:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:37:22","slug":"trump-floats-small-scale-iran-strike-as-negotiating-tactic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-floats-small-scale-iran-strike-as-negotiating-tactic\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump floats small-scale Iran strike as negotiating tactic\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-floats-small-scale-iran-strike-as-negotiating-tactic%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2571959&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>president Donald Trump saeid he is \u201cconsidering\u201d limited military strikes against Iran as a tactic to pressure Tehran into returning to negotiations over its nuclear program, while avoiding a wider war. He indicated there could be a short window\u2014about 10 to 15 days\u2014to reach a deal,after which authorities might proceed with a larger strike if Iran does not agree to U.S. terms.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >article notes ongoing diplomatic efforts<\/a>, including meetings by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner with iranian officials, but acknowledges that a breakthrough has not yet occured. U.S. officials have suggested the military is prepared for actions, potentially starting with an initial limited strike on Iranian military or government sites, followed by broader operations if no agreement is reached.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has framed the potential moves as a way to compel Iran to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-hints-at-2024-run-during-speech-at-turning-point-usa-conference\/\" title=\"... Hints at 2024 Run During Speech at Turning Point USA Conference\">stop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cia-dir-nominee-u-s-must-prevent-iran-from-developing-nuclear-weapons\/\" title=\"CIA Dir. Nominee: U.S. must prevent ... from developing ...\">developing nuclear weapons<\/a><\/a>,while stressing the choice to strike or not will depend on Iran\u2019s response. The report also provides context about Iran\u2019s nuclear program and its designation as a major sponsor of terrorism, and also recent domestic unrest in Iran and the regime\u2019s crackdown on protesters.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump &lsquo;considering&rsquo; small-scale Iran strike as negotiating tactic<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2510521\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> said Friday that he is &ldquo;considering&rdquo; limited military strikes on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a>, which he suggested would force the country to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I guess I can say I am considering that,&rdquo; the president said when asked by a reporter at a White House gubernatorial event if he was considering a limited military strike to force Iran into a deal. The Trump administration has been eyeing such an agreement in an effort to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4465362\/watch-live-trump-rips-historic-supreme-court-ruling-blocking-tariffs\/\">WATCH LIVE: Trump rips historic Supreme Court ruling blocking tariffs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4464979\/trump-boots-press-white-house-governors-breakfast\/\">Trump boots press from White House governors&#8217; breakfast<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4465176\/jacob-frey-brandon-johnson-delivering-state-of-the-union-boycott-rebuttal\/\">Jacob Frey and Brandon Johnson delivering State of the Union rebuttal at boycott event<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Trump has sought to avoid military intervention amid concerns about Iran&rsquo;s nuclear capabilities, and he has, for months, engaged in diplomatic negotiations with the country, sending special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-on-defense\/4461276\/two-peace-plans-on-dual-track-to-intractable-impasse\/\">to meet with Iranian officials <\/a>this week for another round of talks.<\/p>\n<p>But a clear breakthrough on an agreement <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4461958\/us-iran-conflict-brace-war-nuclear-negotiations-fruitless\/\">has failed <\/a>thus far to materialize.&nbsp;On Thursday, Trump said he thinks 10 to 15 days is &ldquo;enough time&rdquo; for Tehran to reach a deal with the United States.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to make a deal or get a deal one way or the other,&rdquo; the president said.<\/p>\n<p>Iran, a theocratic Islamic regime, is viewed as the world&rsquo;s leading sponsor of terrorists, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Washington has raised fears that the country is working on nuclear weapons to wage jihad against the West. A major uprising against the Iranian government sparked in late December 2025, though the regime has sought to crack down on opposition by killing thousands of protesters.&nbsp;At the time, Trump floated military intervention to support the protesters.<\/p>\n<p>The president has not yet made the final decision about whether to strike Iran, CBS News reported Thursday. Senior national security officials have told Trump that the military is ready for strikes as soon as Saturday, but the timeline for any action is likely to extend beyond this weekend, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the president is considering an initial, limited military strike on Iranian military or government sites, the <em>Wall Street Journal <\/em>reported the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/trump-hints-at-10-day-window-for-decision-on-iran-6370e477\">same day<\/a>. If Iran still does not agree to U.S. demands for the deal, the president could then order a large strike campaign against the regime, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4460065\/ali-khamenei-iran-nuclear-industry-our-undeniable-right-threats-against-us\/\"><strong>IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER CALLS NUCLEAR INDUSTRY &lsquo;OUR UNDENIABLE RIGHT&rsquo; IN SERIES OF THREATS AGAINST US<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we&rsquo;re doing,&rdquo; Trump said this week at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And if they join us, that&rsquo;ll be great,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If they don&rsquo;t join us, that&rsquo;ll be great, too, but it&rsquo;ll be a very different path. They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region, and they must make a deal. Or, if that doesn&rsquo;t happen &mdash; I maybe can understand if it doesn&rsquo;t happen &mdash; it doesn&rsquo;t happen, but bad things will happen if it doesn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump mulls limited Iran strike to force talks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2571960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26051534004836.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[4551,3823,3634],"class_list":["post-2571959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-foreign-policy","tag-iran","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26051534004836.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2571959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2571959"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2571959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2571963,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2571959\/revisions\/2571963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2571960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2571959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2571959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2571959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}