Key Points – As Israel’s air assault on Iran continues, President Donald Trump is reportedly “seriously considering” direct US military involvement, a significant shift from his administration’s initial diplomatic efforts.
-According to reports from Axios and The New York Times, after realizing Israel was determined to strike Iran with or without US help, Trump’s advisors weighed alternatives.
-He is now considering a “middle course,” which could involve US aircraft refueling Israeli jets and using 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs to destroy Iran’s deeply buried Fordow nuclear facility.
-This potential escalation comes after Trump’s ominous social media posts warning Tehran to evacuate.
Is Trump About to Join Israel’s War on Iran?
Israel has been striking Iran since last Thursday, seeking to eliminate the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capability by striking both its physical infrastructure and killing nuclear scientists.
Will the U.S. join the attacks? According to some new reporting, such a movie could be imminent.
According to Axios, Trump was set to meet with his security team in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday afternoon, to “make decisions about U.S. policy towards the war between Israel and Iran.”
This followed Trump’s decision to depart the G7 summit in Canada early, and a series of social media posts in which Trump told Tehran, a city of millions, to “evacuate,” while appearing to threaten the life of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Per the Axios report, which cited unnamed “U.S. officials,” the president is “seriously considering joining the war and launching a U.S. strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, especially its underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow.”
The Fordow facility, which is buried in the side of a mountain, could likely only be struck by the GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, which the U.S. has.
In considering this, however, Trump appears to have alienated one segment of the MAGA base, though committed to isolationism, and thankful to Trump for not launching any new wars during his first term in office.
How Trump Was Convinced
The New York Times reported this week that Trump was convinced to shift his position on the possibility of an attack on Iran.
According to the Times’ piece, by Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, Mark Mazzetti, and Ronen Bergman, American spy agencies concluded last month that Israel was planning to strike at Iran’s nuclear program, with or without the help of the U.S.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had spent many years seeking to attack Iran, with U.S. presidents either refusing to participate or talking him out of it.
But with Israel determined this time to both attack the nuclear facilities and also seek to dislodge the Iranian regime, the Times said, Trump first pursued a diplomatic process to reach a deal with Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Over the last few weeks, the Trump Administration has become convinced that Netanyahu is serious. Trump appears to have shifted his strategy away from diplomacy and towards helping with a strike.
“Contrary to Israeli claims, senior administration officials were unaware of any new intelligence showing that the Iranians were rushing to build a nuclear bomb — a move that would justify a preemptive strike,” the Times said. “But seeing they would most likely not be able to deter Mr. Netanyahu and were no longer driving events, Mr. Trump’s advisers weighed alternatives.”
At least at first, Trump chose a “middle course” between joining the assault outright and doing nothing. While his position continues to “gyrate,” the Times said, Trump is now “seriously considering sending American aircraft in to help refuel Israeli combat jets and to try to take out Iran’s deep-underground nuclear site at Fordo with 30,000-pound bombs.”
Despite all that, Trump and Netanyahu continue to distrust one another, per the Times report.
A Secret Greenlight?
Meanwhile, journalist Ken Klippenstein reported on his Substack newsletter that Trump “secretly greenlit” the war in Iran. Klippenstein’s report starts with “Donald Trump is lying about almost everything regarding Israel and Iran,” namely that Trump didn’t know that Israel was going to attack, and that he didn’t okay it.
Klippenstein also reported that “two high-level U.S. officials” stated Trump is on board with Israel’s goal of “regime change” in Iran. He also reported that the “pitch” by Israel to attack Iran first originated during the Biden Administration, where it was rejected.
“In the dance of phone calls and back channel messages and things said and not said, the two countries found agreement. Trump has given Israel a green light by not saying no,” the journalist wrote.
About the Author:
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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