According to Hamshahri, citing the Wall Street Journal, as U.S. military activity in the region intensified, CENTCOM Commander General Brad Cooper presented possible military options against Iran to President Donald Trump in a White House meeting. The report states that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine also attended; the exact date of the meeting, number of options presented, and their content were not disclosed.
According to Hamshahri's account, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. military sent Israel an additional Patriot air defense battery aimed at strengthening Israel's air defense capacity. Israel's television reported separately that at least 10 U.S. military transport aircraft landed in Israel within the past 24 hours carrying air defense systems; the same report said similar aircraft landed in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar during the same period, though the nature of materiel sent to those countries was not specified. An Israeli official told this channel that the security establishment was awaiting a possible Trump decision on military action against Iran, with no date given for such an operation.
Donya-e Eqtesad reported the same day that the U.S. moved Patriot systems from Texas to Israel as Iran faced renewed strike threats. The newspaper framed this directly as "preparation for possible operation." Which unit owned the system, when it would be delivered, and whether it was the same shipment as Hamshahri's reported battery were not verified; neither report cites a direct statement from the U.S. Defense Department.
How the Persian press covered it
| Source (orientation) | Headline / framing |
|---|---|
| Hamshahri (Tehran municipality, principlist) | Based on the Wall Street Journal, highlighted the CENTCOM Commander's options presented to Trump and the 10 transport aircraft landing in Israel. |
| Donya-e Eqtesad (Economic daily, technocratic) | Framed the Patriot system transfer from Texas to Israel as preparation for possible new strikes. |
Both sources confirm U.S. military logistical movement toward Israel, but provide different details on the scope and timing of shipments; these differences were not verified by a single official U.S. statement.
Context
This activity came after Israel's October 29 general elections, in which no coalition secured a parliamentary majority and government formation remained uncertain; Farsçadan covered this in its report on Israel's election results. U.S. military shipments in the region align with earlier reports that Washington was evaluating a possible new operation against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections; this topic was detailed in a report on the U.S. warning allies of Iran strikes. Patriot systems are medium- to long-range air defense batteries used against ballistic missiles and air threats. The U.S. had previously deployed these systems to allies during earlier regional tension periods. Iran's government issued no official statement on these shipments.
