Trump Reportedly Approved ‘Attack Plans For Iran’, But Is Holding Off For Now

(Alex Brandon/AP photo)

President Donald Trump told senior aides on Tuesday night he approved plans to attack Iran, but is waiting to give the order to see if the Iranians will continue negotiations on their nuclear program, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal’s report cited “three people familiar with the deliberations” and added, “Trump is hoping that threatening to join Israel’s strikes on Iran, which continued for a sixth day, will compel Tehran to meet his demands, the people said. He acknowledged that a U.S. attack was under consideration but said he still might decide against it.”

Trump offered a similar take when asked in the Oval Office on Wednesday by CNN’s Kaitlin Collins if he had a plan. “I have ideas on what to do but I haven’t made a final—I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due,” Trump said.

The report comes amid speculation that Trump is inching closer to a strike on Iran.

Brett McGurk, the former White House Coordinator for the Middle East, joined CNN on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel and predicted that the U.S. is “gearing up for a strike” on an Iranian nuclear facility.

“I have to say what I’m seeing right now, I think we are gearing up for a strike, I think, on the Fordow facility, which we’ve been talking about all week. A US military strike,” replied McGurk, who served as the U.S. envoy to combat ISIS in the first Trump administration.

Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility is buried deep inside a mountain, and many military experts believe that a U.S. “bunker-buster” missile would be needed to destroy or disable the facility, a capability Israel does not appear to have.

This is a developing story and has been updated.