President Donald Trump is weighing two dramatically different paths in the escalating conflict with Iran: Accepting a new 10-day ceasefire proposal designed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or joining Israel in a major military campaign aimed at forcing Tehran to back down, according to Axios.
The report said U.S. and Israeli officials believe the next several days will determine whether diplomacy can halt the fighting or whether the conflict expands into a broader regional war.
Regional mediators, including Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, and Oman, have presented Washington and Tehran with a proposal calling for a 10-day ceasefire that would reopen shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz and provide time for negotiations on a longer-term maritime security agreement.
Axios reported that the Trump administration is reviewing the proposal while also preparing for diplomacy to fail.
The Pentagon has surged dozens of fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft into the region, while Israeli officials say the Israel Defense Forces are preparing to expand military operations within days.
The diplomatic push comes after 10 consecutive nights of U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets.
Despite the sustained campaign, Iran has continued threatening commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.
Trump has vowed that Iran will pay heavily for attacks that killed American service members.
"The president is focused on making Iran pay for its violations of the MOU and its continued acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz," a senior U.S. official told Axios.
"In addition, the president will make Iran pay for the recent deaths of U.S. soldiers."
CBS News reported Tuesday that Iran claimed it had targeted U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, as well as a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, although there was no immediate confirmation that American bases had been struck.
The Pentagon also announced the death of another U.S. service member during operations involving an Iranian drone in Iraq, while nearly 100 American troops have been injured in Iranian attacks across the Middle East this month.
According to Axios, the proposed ceasefire would temporarily halt fighting, reopen both shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, and revive negotiations over a broader agreement governing maritime traffic.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed mediators have delivered proposals but said Tehran's military would continue responding "with strength" to what it called U.S. aggression.
The White House has not publicly indicated which course Trump will choose.
Axios reported that one possibility is continuing military operations for several more days before deciding whether to embrace diplomacy.
The conflict has already rattled global energy markets, with oil prices climbing sharply amid concerns over disruptions to one of the world's most important shipping routes.
Trump has repeatedly argued that maintaining freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is vital to global commerce and U.S. national security.
Administration officials have emphasized that, while Washington remains open to a diplomatic resolution, Iran must end attacks on commercial shipping and U.S. forces before any lasting agreement can be reached.