Trump weighs joining Israel-Iran war as nuclear talks hang in the balance

As Donald Trump delays decision on joining Israel's war, US officials prepare for a possible strike on Iran's fortified nuclear sites, including the mountain-buried Fordow enrichment facility

President Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether the United States will join Israel’s military campaign against Iran, as rising tensions between the two nations threaten to ignite a broader regional conflict with global consequences.

 

In a statement delivered by White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Thursday, Trump said the possibility of renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran would weigh heavily on his decision. “There’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future. I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” the statement said.

 

 

US officials prepare for possible action in Iran

The announcement followed days of speculation over Washington’s potential involvement in ‘Operation Rising Lion’, Israel’s ongoing air campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and missile systems. While Trump had previously struck a more aggressive tone, including calling on Tehran residents to evacuate, his latest comments suggested a possible turn towards diplomacy. 

Despite Trump’s hesitation, senior US officials are reportedly preparing for a potential strike. According to a report by Bloomberg, internal discussions have focused on the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, a heavily fortified site buried beneath a mountain and believed to be impervious to all but the US’s most powerful bunker-busting bombs. 

 

Israeli strikes continue, target nuclear assets

Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued overnight. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had hit dozens of targets in Tehran, including missile production centres, command hubs and the heavy water reactor at Arak. The Arak facility, long a source of international concern, could theoretically produce plutonium, providing a second route to nuclear weapons capability beyond enriched uranium. 

Iranian state television reported no radiation risk from the Arak strike, saying the site had been evacuated. The IDF said the objective was to ensure the reactor could not be restored for weapons development. Iran had agreed to redesign the reactor under the 2015 nuclear deal, but that work stalled after Trump withdrew the US from the accord in 2018.

⭕This nuclear reactor in Arak was created for one purpose: to build a nuclear bomb.  It has now been neutralized. Here is a closer look at the reactor itself: pic.twitter.com/4KBDsgp8IN

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 19, 2025

Netanyahu says regime change is not the goal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking during a visit to Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, damaged in a missile strike on Thursday, said Israel’s objective was to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. “We may create the conditions to help change the government, but our goal is not regime change—it’s removing the threat,” he told Kan television.  When asked whether Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was a target, he replied, “No one is immune”.

Defence Minister Israel Katz took a more explicit line, calling Khamenei the “modern Hitler” and saying his removal was “absolutely necessary” to ensure regional stability.

 

הדיקטטור חמינאי הוא היטלר המודרני שחרט על דגלו את השמדת מדינת ישראל ומשעבד את כל המשאבים של המדינה שלו לקידום המטרה הנוראית הזאת.  הוא לא יכול להמשיך ולהתקיים.

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) June 19, 2025

 

The conflict has so far claimed at least 657 lives in Iran, including 263 civilians, and injured more than 2,000, according to a US-based Iranian human rights group. Israel has reported 24 deaths and hundreds wounded in Iran’s retaliation, which has involved more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones. 

Iran continues to deny it is pursuing nuclear weapons, insisting its enrichment programme is for peaceful energy purposes. It remains, however, the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium to 60 per cent purity, a short technical step from the 90 per cent needed for weapons-grade material. 

 

Diplomatic window still open

As tensions escalate, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate have gained urgency. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is due to meet his British, French, German and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, after holding talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff, said there was now a “window” to reach a diplomatic solution. 

Khamenei on Wednesday ruled out surrender and warned that US military intervention would have “irreparable consequences”. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused Trump of using military threats to extract concessions at the negotiating table.