President Trump [EPA=Yonhap News. Republication and DB prohibited]

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has signaled strong further strikes against Iran, held a National Security Council meeting on the 10th (local time) to discuss the possibility of additional attacks on Iran, according to U.S. online media Axios.

President Trump held the meeting in the White House Situation Room that afternoon with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain, and Middle East Envoy Steve Wittekov.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, who was visiting the Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, reportedly attended the meeting via video conference.

One source told Axios that one of the options President Trump is considering is to launch a large-scale but short-term operation aimed at pressuring Iran to change its negotiation stance.

As discussions for a ceasefire between the two countries have reached a stalemate, the U.S. launched retaliatory attacks the previous day after an Iranian drone attack shot down a U.S. Army Apache helicopter.

President Trump told reporters that day, "We will be hitting Iran much harder today," indicating his intention for further offensives.

In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated via X (formerly Twitter) that Iran will "firmly resist any pressure or threat," reaffirming its stance not to back down from U.S. military pressure.

Meanwhile, Pulitzer Prize-winning American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported in an article on his website that President Trump had brought up the option of using nuclear weapons during discussions with senior administration officials this week, focusing on Iran's underground missile production facilities.

Hersh stated, "I heard that in a recent closed-door meeting at the White House, President Trump began to vaguely mention the 'nuclear option' that might end the war faster."

However, he explained, "This is merely an internal remark made by a frustrated president to his senior staff." The implication is that it is a statement reflecting President Trump's dissatisfaction amid the stalled peace negotiations, not necessarily that he is seriously considering the use of nuclear weapons.