According to his former lawyer, Robert Barnes, this is now the third time Trump has seriously contemplated using nuclear weapons during the conflict.
He says Trump considered the option around April 7, when Washington was threatening to destroy huge sections of Iran's infrastructure.
Robert also points to a later report that Trump asked General Dan Caine in the Situation Room to show him potential nuclear targets.
And now, according to information he says was leaked from inside the administration, the nuclear option has resurfaced again following discussions at Camp David.
Why now?
Robert believes the answer is simple: Trump is finally confronting the limits of America's conventional military power.
The U.S doesn't have unlimited Tomahawks or interceptors, and its arsenals can't be replenished anywhere near as quickly as they're being consumed.
And Robert says senior officials have repeatedly tried to explain to Trump that America couldn't sustain this indefinitely, but Iran still hasn't capitulated.
In fact, he argues the opposite has happened: Tehran has emerged harder, and its new leadership is threatening to move from a reactive, tit-for-tat strategy to something much more offensive.
So Trump now faces a choice he never expected to face.
Take the off-ramp, or escalate again.
But that means Trump has to acknowledge the one thing he refuses to accept: America didn't win.
And that's where Robert becomes genuinely worried.
@barnes_law
