Trump Aides Hold Secret Camp David Talks on Iran War and Yemen
Vice President Vance chaired an unannounced Friday session as Washington weighs renewed strikes, Axios reports
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File photo: President George W. Bush at Camp David. Photo: White House / NARA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald Trump's senior national security officials held an unannounced, hours-long meeting at Camp David on Friday to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi–Houthi conflict in Yemen, according to Axios, which cited three US officials familiar with the gathering.
Axios said the session was not announced by the Trump administration. The outlet noted that the last similar Camp David huddle of this kind took place in June 2025, shortly before Israel went to war against Iran. Middle East Eye and The National independently summarised the same Axios account on Saturday, confirming the basic outline of the report.
Who attended
Vice President JD Vance chaired the meeting, Axios reported. Other participants named by the officials included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. One of the officials told Axios that "things were decided or at least deeply discussed" regarding the Middle East crisis. The White House declined to comment, according to the report.
War options and Yemen
With negotiations stalled, Axios said Trump is considering a return to major combat operations against Iran. On Thursday he had warned that either Iran signs a deal "or it won't exist any longer." At the same time, Saudi Arabia is urging Washington to join a planned offensive against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, including possible US airstrikes. Officials told Axios the president has been leaning against that step but could change his mind.
Asked by reporters on Friday what his next move on Iran would be, Trump replied: "If I told you, you would have a major story. But you will see. It is working out very well. Iran is not doing well," Axios reported.
Diplomacy remains strained
The Camp David talks come as Tehran and Washington trade proposals over reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending nearly eight months of conflict that began with US–Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Iran has said it is reviewing a US counterproposal delivered through Qatar after Trump publicly rejected Tehran's seven-day Hormuz roadmap. A Tehran source told The National on Saturday that assessments in Iran are that "the war is resuming," even as officials insist the door to diplomacy has not closed.
US officials have separately confirmed that a third aircraft carrier strike group, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, is heading toward the Middle East, potentially raising the US force presence in the region to roughly 20,000 personnel when amphibious units arrive. Shipping incidents in and around Hormuz have continued in parallel, with UK maritime authorities reporting further unidentified projectile strikes on tankers this week.
