President Donald Trump has inched closer to ordering military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, approving operational attack plans while stopping short of authorizing an attack, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Multiple sources said Trump remains undecided about launching strikes, amid doubts over whether American Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs could destroy Iran’s deeply buried and heavily fortified Fordow nuclear plant near the city of Qom.
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran exchanged air and missile strikes, intensifying already-severe regional tensions.
Senior officials told numerous outlets, including CNN, that Trump is less convinced by diplomatic options and increasingly open to military intervention, even as he keeps his final intentions unclear.
“I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven’t made a final [decision],” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war.”
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The prospect of U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure carries far-reaching consequences for American security interests, global energy markets, and the volatile Middle East region. Israel and Iran are waging direct hostilities, with hundreds killed and both sides launching missiles.
Whether the U.S. joins the fight could define regional stability for years, test U.S. alliances in Europe and the Gulf, and set dangerous precedents over nuclear nonproliferation enforcement. Congressional leaders and protesters nationwide have warned of the risk of a third U.S. war in the Middle East this century.
What To Know
Trump Approves Iran Strike Plans but Delays Action
Trump privately approved military plans for action against Iran but has so far withheld execution, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. People familiar with the deliberations said the president was holding off to see whether Iran would halt its nuclear ambitions.
The U.S. could potentially target Iran’s Fordow enrichment facility, according to the newspaper.
“I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said, when pressed on whether he would attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. “The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week.”
MOP Bombs May Not Guarantee Fordow’s Destruction
The president’s hesitation centers on whether the U.S. military’s heaviest bunker-buster bombs—specifically the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), or GBU-57/B bomb—are truly capable of destroying the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, which lies buried under a mountain 18 miles from the holy city of Qom.
The 30,000-pound bomb was designed by U.S. military engineers to destroy deep underground targets without radioactive fallout and is the only nonnuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal that could potentially strike the Fordow nuclear facility. It is unclear whether the U.S. will supply the weapon to Israel.
Trump asked Pentagon officials if the MOP would eliminate Fordow, and he was told they are confident. But the president himself did not appear fully convinced, Axios reported Wednesday, citing a U.S. official; Newsweek has yet to verify this report. Fordow is considered to be Iran’s most-advanced nuclear-enrichment facility.
Trump said Wednesday that only the U.S. is capable of destroying Fordow, “but that doesn’t mean I am going to do it.”
The president added: “I have been asked about it by everybody, but I haven’t made a decision.”
Trump also wants to be certain U.S. military intervention is necessary and would achieve its goal to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. He also would like to avoid Washington being dragged into a prolonged war in the region, U.S. officials said.
“We’re going to be ready to strike Iran. We’re not convinced yet that we’re necessary. And we want to be unnecessary, but I think the president’s just not convinced we are needed yet,” a U.S. official said.
Trump’s Vague, Ambiguous Warnings
Trump has offered a series of ambiguous yet increasingly combative statements on possible U.S. strikes on Iran.
“You don’t seriously think I’m going to answer that question,” Trump said Wednesday when pressed on whether he had made a decision on the matter. “You don’t know that I’m going to even do it. You know, I may do it; I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Later that day, the president said: “I have ideas as to what to do. But I haven’t made a final—I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other. War is very bad.”
Hostilities Intensify
Israeli forces continued their campaign against Iranian missile sites and nuclear facilities, targeting the Khondab reactor near Arak and sites at Natanz and Tehran. Iran retaliated with some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones fired at Israel, killing at least 24 and wounding hundreds of others.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of “irreparable damage” if the U.S. joined the conflict.
Meanwhile in the U.S., Senate Democrats and some Republicans have called for Trump to seek congressional authorization before any military action, with Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine introducing a war powers resolution.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday: “I don’t want to fight either. I’m not looking to fight. But if it’s a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do, and maybe we won’t have to fight.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, said in a public address: “The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage. The U.S. entering in this matter is 100 percent to its own detriment. The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter.”
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said on Wednesday: “A third war in the Middle East in this century would be a horrible, horrible mistake, and it’s going to put U.S. service members at risk and also risk destabilizing the region.”
What Happens Next
Trump is expected to continue consultations with security and defense officials in the coming days, weighing the risks of direct military involvement against Iran.
European ministers are set to engage Iranian leaders in Geneva, Switzerland, for possible nuclear talks, while the Pentagon maintains a strengthened military posture in the region. No formal decision on military action has been announced as of Thursday.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
