Trump ‘Seriously Considering’ Sending Fighter Jets and Dropping 30,000-Pound Bombs on Iran: NYT
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
President Donald Trump is “seriously considering” dropping 30,000-pound bombs on Iran and providing American military aircraft to assist Israel in their escalating conflict in the region, according to a new report.
A New York Times deep-dive report on Trump’s evolving stance on supporting Israel’s military efforts against Iran included the news, according to “key players” in the administration’s ongoing deliberations, that the president is considering direct U.S. military involvement in the conflict.
“Mr. Trump is seriously considering sending American aircraft in to help refuel Israeli combat jets and to try to take out Iran’s deep-underground nuclear site at Fordo with 30,000-pound bombs — a step that would mark a stunning turnabout from his opposition just two months ago to any military action while there was still a chance of a diplomatic solution,” the Times’s Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, Mark Mazzetti, and Ronen Bergman reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, Trump has had a quickly evolving stance on Israel striking Iran. Though one of the cornerstones to his campaign has been avoiding conflicts abroad with diplomacy, he’s hinted more recently that the United States “could get involved” in the Israel-Iran conflict. He also claimed Iran was “close” to a nuclear weapon despite Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifying in March that the country is not actively building one. Trump reportedly became far more supportive of Israel after its mass strikes on military and nuclear sites earlier this month in Iran.
The stance has led to a split in MAGA world, with some, like Tucker Carlson, arguing against US involvement, while others, like Mark Levin, push for the administration to be far more aggressive in its approach to Iran.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters about Gabbard’s comments. “I think they were very close to having them.”
The president also called now-critic Carlson “kooky” over his position.
According to an Economist/YouGov poll released this week, just 16% of Americans support US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, while 60% do not. Among 2024 Trump voters, 19% believe the US should get involved, while 53% say they should not.
