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One person familiar with the discussions said, “If he does something, he wants it to be decisive.”

However, the US official and the two people familiar with the talks said Trump’s advisers have so far been unable to guarantee that the regime would quickly collapse after a US military strike, and there are concerns the US may not have all the assets it would need in the region to guard against an aggressive Iranian response as administration officials expect.

The US official and one person familiar with the discussions said these dynamics could lead Trump, at least initially, to approve a more limited US military strike in Iran, while keeping the option of broader military action if necessary.

They said the situation is evolving rapidly and that no decision had been made as of Wednesday afternoon. During a visit to Detroit on Tuesday, Trump told protesting Iranians that “help is on the way” and described the situation in the country as “fragile.”

Asked to comment on the details of Trump’s deliberations, a White House official pointed to Trump’s remarks made Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office.

At the time, Trump told reporters he had learned that the Iranian regime had stopped killing protesters and abandoned plans for executions, both of which he said could trigger US military intervention. On Wednesday, Trump said, “We received information from very important sources on the other side saying the killings have stopped and the executions will not take place. I hope it’s true. Who knows?”

Asked whether that meant military intervention was no longer on the table, Trump said, “We’ll watch how the process plays out.”