Earlier Tuesday, the president asserted that U.S. aircraft dominate Iranian airspace.
President Trump is reportedly considering direct U.S. involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran during a meeting with his national security team on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
While the president has praised Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, he has refrained from joining offensive operations, choosing instead to assist Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles and drones with U.S. military resources.
Ahead of a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room to address the escalating Middle East conflict, Axios and CBS News reported that Trump was contemplating U.S. entry into the conflict.
“Trump was seriously considering joining the war and launching a US strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, especially its underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow,” Axios reported, citing three unnamed officials. Israeli officials believe the U.S. will “enter the war in the coming days,” the outlet added.
The decision is set to be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting, but CBS News, citing sources familiar with the matter, noted that Trump’s advisors are not in complete agreement.
Fordow, a heavily protected uranium enrichment facility built deep within a mountain, has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi stated that there is no evidence of significant damage to its underground section.
Axios reported on Sunday that while Israel lacks the necessary bunker-buster bombs to completely destroy the fortified facility, U.S. forces stationed in the region possess both the weapons and the capability to deploy them.
According to National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, the Israeli campaign against Iran “will not end without damaging the Fordow nuclear facility.” He stated in a Tuesday interview that while it remains unclear “if the US will join,” Israel maintains constant communication with Washington on the matter.
Prior to Tuesday’s security meeting, Trump posted a series of combative messages on Truth Social, asserting U.S. dominance in Iranian airspace, boasting of his ability to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and demanding Iran’s surrender.