Trump Advisers Split on Iran Policy as Qatar Begins Hormuz Mediation

President Donald Trump is weighing whether to end the Iran war or resume large-scale military operations as Qatar launches mediation aimed at averting action and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff favor a diplomatic resolution. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, support military action. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent favor tighter sanctions.

Those recommendations put diplomacy, military force and sanctions among the competing approaches to the Iran conflict. Qatar’s latest mediation round is aimed at preventing military action and restoring access through the strait.

Trump recently said he would soon decide whether to resume large-scale military action against Iran, a question addressed in earlier coverage of his Iran strike decision. Qatar has also mediated discussions over Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.