The world holds its breath as President Trump weighs a monumental decision: whether to launch a military strike against Fordow, Iran’s most fortified nuclear facility.
Multiple sources close to the White House confirm the President has been briefed on both the severe risks and potential benefits of such an action, with his current mindset leaning towards disabling the site to prevent rapid nuclear weapons production.
The President reportedly approved attack plans on Tuesday night, a significant escalation, but has not yet given a final order to strike or to formally join Israel’s ongoing air campaign against Iranian targets. This hesitation, according to senior intelligence and Defense Department officials, is a strategic pause, offering Tehran a narrow window to abandon its nuclear program.
READ: Tic-Toc, Tehran: Trump Issues Two-Week Warning On Iran Action
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that President Trump will make his ultimate decision within the next two weeks. “Based on the fact that there is 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,” a statement from the President, read by Leavitt, confirmed.
The subterranean Fordow facility, designed to withstand aerial attacks, has been a long-standing concern for international observers. While Israel has conducted numerous strikes in Iran recently, Fordow has remained untouched so far. The prospect of the U.S. deploying “bunker-buster” bombs to neutralize the site has been discussed by the President, signaling a willingness to involve American military might if diplomacy fails.
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Meanwhile, a flurry of diplomatic activity is underway to find an “off-ramp” from the precipice of wider conflict.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today, and European foreign ministers, along with the EU high representative, are scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday.
Despite congressional intelligence briefings suggesting Iran has not yet ordered the weaponization of its nuclear program or resumed research on delivery mechanisms, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has privately voiced concerns that Iran is “very close” to nuclear weapons capability.
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President Trump, ever unpredictable, stated Wednesday that he likes to make “the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change, especially with war.”
While open to negotiations, Iran has firmly declared it “does NOT negotiate under duress” and vows to “respond to any threat with a counter-threat,” with reports indicating missiles are prepped for strikes on U.S. bases if America joins the fight.
The next two weeks will be crucial in determining whether diplomacy can avert a potentially devastating military confrontation in the Middle East.
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