Axios: Trump Weighs Bigger Strikes in Iran

Newmax ^ | July 15th, 2026 | By Charlie McCarthy

[Mariner]

President Donald Trump reportedly held a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday to discuss new strikes on strategic targets in Iran, as well as strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz.

The meeting signaled the White House is preparing for a broader military campaign aimed at forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table and ending threats to one of the world's most critical shipping lanes.

Trump met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and other senior national security officials to review plans for expanding the operation, Axios reported.

"We're going to hit them very hard tonight," Trump told Fox News before the meeting. "We're going to hit them hard tomorrow night. We're going to hit them really hard the night after."

He warned that if Iran refuses to negotiate, the campaign could soon expand to major infrastructure.

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TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Iran; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: axios; charliemccarthy; rop; tds

[Mariner]

The IRGC, essentially the government of Iran, trained Hamas and Hezbollah.

Yet some fool continues to advise POTUS he can exact a capitulation.

POTUS needs to wake up and realize they will never, ever capitulate. They must be killed.

[jagusafr]

Yes, the negotiating table is worthless because their word is worthless. Unconditional surrender is the only acceptable outcome.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Best thing to do is KILL EVERY SINGLE REGIME MEMBER..from their cousins cousin to their bald headed granny..that is how you end this, and yeah yeah they can easily be replaced but you kill as many of them as possible. That is what Israel wanted to do from the beginning but Trump wanted to save some of them for what reason I still have no clue. Just kill them all then you can have negotiations

[bert]

You are correct.

Deaths are the only permanent solution

[for-q-clinton]

Looks like he’s finally going to allow them to go after power plants and bridges.

[PGR88]

[Mariner]

“Looks like he’s finally going to allow them to go after power plants and bridges.”

Doubtful.

He just likes to threaten it.

[dware]

Looks like he’s finally going to allow them to go after power plants and bridges.

How many times have we heard this? Too many. It's time to sh*t or get off the pot. Wipe them out. Anything less is a waste of time and taxpayer $$$. This surely isn't what I voted 3 times for.

[Sarah Barracuda]

The best way to negotiate with the iranian vermin regime is by killing them, you kill them til there is no one left to talk to thats my strategy

[Olog-hai]

This guy works for Newsmax now . . . ?

[bert]

According to President Trump and various YouTube sources, the war is currently being prosecuted by the third new Iranian regime with certain elements of the fourth.

Although the current Supreme Leader is of the second tier, he has not appeared since his father and family were blown away. He is characterized as being cardboard after early on his PR team tried to post a photo of an actual life size cardboard cut out as being him. He is said to have extensive facial burns and severe damage to one leg. There is no proof of life

So, determining precisely which generation of the regime presently exists is problematic.

However, the original old men ruling Iran are all dead

[Sarah Barracuda]

The regime that posts on X, Ghadilf or whatever his name is and Arauchi not sure how to spell their names, those are the ones that need to be offed

[bert]

I consider those Two to be the means that are accomplishing President Trump’s ends. Their lives are literally in the President’s hands

[Sarah Barracuda]

Well they run their traps every second they are the big fish they are the ones that Iranians have wanted dead for a long time

[Gunslingr3]

However, the original old men ruling Iran are all dead

They died decades ago.

What remains is the regime.

[Liz]

Axios reported Trump met in the WH situation Room with:
<><>JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Secy Pete Hegseth,
<><>AND
<><>CIA Director John Ratcliffe,
<><>Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine,
<><>special envoy Steve Witkoff,
<><>and other senior ntl security officials.

Shocking Trump is really listening to US military/intel types.

Israel and the Mossad didnt have to be there this time?

Besides...... the obedient US Congress will take its
cues from Israel, anyway.....certainly not from Trump.

[Gunslingr3]

Unconditional surrender is the only acceptable outcome.

Best prepare yourself mentally for the unacceptable outcome, because that's not happening.

[Honorary Serb]

Freedom for the Iranian people! No more IRGC/ayatollah regime!

[proust]

“Shocking Trump is really listening to US military/intel types.”

Everyone else has been purged from the regime. Only the purest neocons survive.

[Paul R.]

Quite a few of them were not old at the time of the overthrow of the Shah, with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (recently deceased of course) being the #1 example. A. K. was a prime mover and shaker in those early days, then succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini upon the latter’s death.

Now, I think the point you are trying to make is that killing individuals only temporarily inconveniences the cult / zealots. In this I agree: It is much like trying to get rid of dandelions that have already formed seed heads, by digging them up. (Blowing up dandelions with mature seed heads would be equally futile, of course.)

Starving the regime of money weakens it, but does not eradicate it. The same is likely of most infrastructure, with one exception. That exception is refined products, which I’ve been harping on for a long time.

The good news is that Iran’s refined products supply can be for all practical purposes rather easily eliminated. They are very vulnerable in this regard. THEN let’s see how the regime does.