But as Trump faces a critical decision about whether to join Israel’s military strikes against Iran’s nuclear program, perhaps the most momentous of his presidency, neither Gabbard nor Hegseth are playing starring roles as members of Trump’s inner circle of advisers, according to current and former U.S. officials and people close to the White House.
Trump instead has turned to a small group of lower-key but more experienced aides, these people said. The “Tier One” group advising on a potential U.S. strike on Iran is composed of Vice President JD Vance, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, according to an outside White House adviser, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive dynamics.
Together, this quartet is helping Trump as he decides whether to launch weapons only the United States possesses to target nuclear enrichment sites in Iran. Since Friday, Israel has bombed a number of Iranian nuclear sites but been unable to destroy deeply buried uranium enrichment facilities at Fordow and Natanz. U.S. strikes would bring Washington into a new Middle East war with uncertain consequences, invite Iran’s promised retaliation against U.S. military bases in the region and potentially roil the global economy.
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