US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering fresh military action against Iran as diplomatic efforts remain stalled following his recent visit to China.
According to The New York Times, senior US officials and Pentagon planners are preparing for possible renewed air strikes if Trump decides to move beyond negotiations. The report said military preparations could involve a revival of Operation Epic Fury, potentially under a new operational name, after last month’s ceasefire.
🇺🇸🇮🇷‘The president has declared Operation Epic Fury to have concluded’ — Speaker Johnson
— Donald J Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) May 15, 2026
‘We’re working on the next project, which is getting the Strait of Hormuz open’
‘We don't expect that to be a warfare activity’ pic.twitter.com/8hNqRPyNnM
Trump rejects Iran’s proposal
Several countries are reportedly attempting to broker a compromise that could help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route affected by the ongoing tensions. However, Trump appeared unconvinced by Iran’s latest proposal.
"I looked at it, and if I don't like the first sentence I just throw it away," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving Beijing, per a report by NDTV.
The remarks came shortly after Trump’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. China remains one of Iran’s key strategic partners and depends heavily on energy shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Pentagon preparing for all scenarios
Behind the scenes, US military officials are reportedly preparing for multiple contingencies. NDTV quoted The New York Times reporting that American and Israeli forces are carrying out their largest joint preparations since the ceasefire, with possible strikes being considered as early as next week.
Trump said both Washington and Beijing shared concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
"I have a lot of respect for him. On Iran, he feels strongly that they can't have a nuclear weapon, said that very strongly, they can't have a nuclear weapon, and he wants them to open up the strait. But as he said, they close it and you close them. And it's true, we (the US) control the strait, and they (Iran) have done no business in the last two and a half weeks, which is approximately $500 million a day," Trump said, per NDTV.
.@SecRubio: "Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen." pic.twitter.com/blkqn3Bqdm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2026
Taiwan issue also discussed
Trump also revealed that discussions with Xi covered Taiwan, a key flashpoint in US-China relations.
"We had a great stay; it was an amazing period of time. President Xi is an incredible guy. President Xi and I talked a lot about Taiwan. He thinks they cannot have anything to do with what they're doing. He's very much against what they're doing. We talked about Taiwan and we talked about Iran a lot, and I think we have a very good understanding on both."
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Reuters reported that Xi privately warned Trump that tensions over Taiwan could potentially push the US and China towards conflict.
