Trump’s Armada is getting in place. Now he must decide what to do with Iran.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. DUBAI—The U.S. military has assembled a formidable force in the Middle East within striking range of Iran.

Now, President Trump must decide how to use it. As warships and planes reach the region in growing numbers, administration officials said they are debating whether the main aim is to go after Iran’s nuclear program, hit its ballistic missile arsenal, bring about the collapse of the government—or some combination of the three. Trump has asked aides for quick and decisive attack options that don’t risk a long-term war in the Middle East, officials said.

The ideal option would be one that hits the regime hard enough that it has no choice but to accede to U.S. nuclear demands and lay off dissidents, they said. There have been discussions about a punishing bombing campaign that could topple Iran’s government, the officials said.

Trump and his team have also weighed leveraging the threat of military force to extract diplomatic concessions from Iran. What Trump decides will determine the shape of any military action. “The kind of things you’d want to do and the force packages you would need are very different," said retired Vice Adm.

Robert Murrett, a former Navy intelligence officer. A senior administration official said that while Trump has consistently said Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon, he is being purposefully ambiguous to keep his strategic objectives and military thinking secret. Speaking about the ships converging on the Middle East, Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office that “they have to float someplace.