Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who oversees troops in the Middle East as head of U.S. Central Command, briefed President Donald Trump on potential military options in Iran, according to a person close to the president, writes ABC News.

"Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president`s top military adviser, also was present, according to a second person familiar with the discussion. The briefing by the top military commander in the region comes on the same day as U.S. and Iranian officials held indirect talks in Geneva on Iran`s nuclear and ballistic missile program. Neither side announced a deal had been reached. Iran`s foreign minister said progress was made and that "technical talks" will resume in Vienna, Austria, next week.

Several Republicans and some Trump officials in recent days have privately advocated for Israel to take the lead in striking Iran instead of the U.S. initiating hostilities, two people familiar with discussions tell ABC News. It was not clear as of Thursday that such a plan has been embraced by Trump, who is said to be growing increasingly frustrated with Iran`s refusal to agree to his demands to halt uranium enrichment and cap its ballistic missile program.

The president is known for fielding varied opinions before making a decision. Politico first reported that some senior advisers and Republicans to Trump were advocating for Israel to take the lead. Sources say a joint U.S.-Israeli operation is still possible, with the U.S. having moved an eye-popping number of ships and fighter jets to the region - all within striking distance of Iran.

"The media may continue to speculate on the President`s thinking all they want, but only President Trump knows what he may or may not do", said White House Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly. Political analysts said that suggestions of Israel throwing the first "punch" is likely intended to serve as a kind of political cover to Republicans in Congress facing a tough election year. Trump campaigned on the promise that he would end wars, not start them. If Israel struck Iran, defense officials predict Iran would almost certainly retaliate. Trump could then argue that U.S. intervention in the conflict was in line with decades-long policy of defending Israel, analysts say. But that strategy could backfire if the operation is seen across the Middle East as an "Israeli-backed coup", said ABC News contributor Ramesh Ponnuru, a conservative pundit and editor of National Review.

Regardless of how it begins, "if it becomes an involved campaign and we take casualties, then you get some political risks", Ponnuru said. "I think it`s important for President Trump to articulate the strategy and mission in Iran. But before that, he has to have a clear strategy and mission, and I don`t know that he has settled on that yet".