President Donald Trump is facing what could be the most difficult decision of his presidency as he considers whether the United States should join Israel in its ongoing bombing campaign against Iran.
Speculation about possible US military involvement heightened after Trump cut short his attendance at the G7 summit in Canada, warning on Tuesday that while the United States could eliminate Iran’s Supreme Leader, it would refrain “for now.”
For a president who has consistently vowed during both his terms to end America’s prolonged military engagements in the Middle East, the prospect of a new conflict marks a major political and strategic crossroads. “It’s a major political and military choice that could define his legacy in the Middle East,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, head of the Iran programme at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AFP.
As Trump convened a meeting of his National Security Council in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday, there were already signs that his previously favoured diplomatic approach might be shifting. Among the military options reportedly being considered is the deployment of US “bunker-buster” bombs to target Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility, which Israeli strikes have so far been unable to reach.
US officials reiterated that dismantling Iran’s nuclear ambitions—long suspected by the West as a covert weapons programme—remains Trump’s foremost objective.
The situation remains highly unpredictable, with US officials describing the scenario as “fluid” and changing “hourly.” Trump has left all possibilities open, including the suggestion that the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which he had recently dismissed, may once again be under consideration.
According to Axios, Trump is even contemplating new diplomatic talks, possibly arranging a meeting between his chief negotiator Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. However, officials cautioned that any attack on American forces in the region could dramatically alter the US response, with one stating that Trump would not tolerate even “a hair on the back of an American” being harmed.
The shift in tone is striking, coming just days after Trump, who has expressed ambitions of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, urged Israel to hold back from further military action. However, following frequent conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who himself has hinted at regime change in Iran—Trump appears to have reconsidered.
The deployment of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and several US military aircraft to the region has fuelled speculation about possible forthcoming military action.
The White House has also been attempting to address concerns from within Trump’s own support base. Isolationist factions of the MAGA movement, who strongly oppose new foreign wars, have been vocal in their resistance to any escalation with Iran. In response, Vice President JD Vance defended Trump, stating that he had “earned some trust” and may feel compelled to act in order to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment. “He is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people’s goals,” said Vance, himself a veteran of the Iraq war.
Trump later offered a hint of his own frame of mind by reposting a message from US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who described last year’s failed assassination attempt on Trump as divine intervention. “The decisions on your shoulders I would not want to be made by anyone else. You have many voices speaking to you Sir, but there is only ONE voice that matters. HIS voice,” Huckabee wrote.