President Donald Trump intervened to stop Israel’s plans to launch a major bombing strike against Iranian nuclear facilities next month, opting instead to pursue negotiations with Tehran, according to multiple reports.
The planned attack, which would have involved an extensive bombing campaign requiring significant U.S. military support, was intended to set back Iran’s nuclear program by at least a year.
Trump informed Israeli officials of his decision earlier this month, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington.
During Netanyahu’s White House visit on April 7, Trump publicly announced the start of negotiations with Iran while the Israeli leader was still in the Oval Office.
And in private discussions, the president made clear that he would not provide American support for an Israeli attack in May while diplomatic efforts were underway. But the White House also made it clear that allowing Iran to build nuclear weapons was not acceptable.
“President Trump has been clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and all options remain on the table,” said Brian Hughes, a National Security Council spokesman. “The president has authorized direct and indirect discussions with Iran
Israel had developed detailed plans for attacking Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, initially proposing a combined operation involving commando raids on underground facilities supported by airstrikes. When Israeli military officials indicated the commando operation wouldn’t be ready until October, Netanyahu pushed for a quicker alternative: an extended bombing campaign that would have started in early May that would have lasted more than a week.
Almost all versions of the plan would have required substantial American assistance, both to ensure the attack’s success and to defend Israel from Iranian retaliation. The United States has recently moved significant military assets to the region, including two aircraft carriers — the Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea and the Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea — along with Patriot missile batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
Six B-2 stealth bombers capable of carrying 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs are also currently deployed on Diego Garcia, an island base in the Indian Ocean. These weapons would be essential for destroying Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities.
Israeli officials had tried to convince the Trump administration that May was an opportune moment to strike, citing Iran’s weakened position following a series of setbacks. These included the failure of most Iranian missiles to penetrate defenses during an April attack on Israel, Israel’s devastating campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria (which cut off a key weapons smuggling route), and Israeli strikes that destroyed air defense systems in Iran and Syria.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned on Wednesday that Iran is “not far” from building a nuclear bomb. “It’s like a puzzle. They have the pieces, and one day they could eventually put them together,” Grossi told Le Monde newspaper.
The diplomatic opening came after Iran signaled their willingness to negotiate with the Trump administration through intermediaries, after an earlier rejection of direct negotiations that Trump had proposed in March.
In his comments after Netanyahu’s visit, Trump warned that military action remains an option if talks fail. “If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” Trump said. “Israel will, obviously, be the leader of that.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Netanyahu and Mossad chief David Barnea, discussing various options for dealing with Iran beyond just talks or strikes. These included potential covert operations with U.S. support and more aggressive sanctions enforcement.
The Trump administration has given Iran a deadline of just a few months to negotiate a deal over its nuclear program.