WASHINGTON / TEHRAN / BEIRUT — U.S. President Donald Trump is seriously considering launching strikes on Iranian energy facilities in the coming days as part of an effort to increase pressure on Tehran and force new concessions in ongoing negotiations, according to a U.S. official cited by Axios. The official said no final decision has yet been made.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that Trump has instructed military planners to prepare options for a new attack aimed at compelling Iran to make concessions.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would continue efforts to isolate Iran both militarily and economically, declaring that the campaigns he described as "Epic Wrath" and "Economic Wrath" would continue without interruption.

Iran responded by dismissing reports of possible U.S. or Israeli strikes on its infrastructure. According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, a senior Iranian security official described such plans as "madness," warning that Tehran has prepared a comprehensive retaliation plan targeting critical Israeli infrastructure and U.S. energy interests across the region.

Separately, in Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned that Israeli explosions carried out in several areas of southern Lebanon represent a dangerous escalation that could undermine the framework agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

President Aoun also stressed that questioning the Lebanese Army or attempting to isolate it from public support weakens state institutions and threatens national stability, reiterating that "there is no legitimacy for any weapons outside the authority of the state."