President Donald J. Trump is weighing whether to escalate U.S. involvement in the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, after bluntly demanding Iran's unconditional surrender and warning of consequences should Tehran refuse to comply. According to administration officials talking to the Wall Street Journal, that action includes a direct strike.
Speaking after an abrupt departure from a G7 summit in Canada, Mr. Trump made clear that the United States was not pursuing another temporary cease-fire, but instead a “final resolution” to what he described as a prolonged threat. “We want a conclusion, not a pause,” he said, indicating that military options remain firmly on the table.
The White House confirmed that the president has just held a high-level meeting in the Situation Room with his national security advisers, exploring a range of military and diplomatic pathways. While U.S. officials said no definitive course of action had been chosen, the discussion signals a moment of elevated tension as American forces move closer to the region.
A third Navy destroyer has arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and a second carrier strike group is en route to the Arabian Sea. Pentagon leaders described the deployments as defensive, aimed at deterring further Iranian aggression and protecting Israeli interests, but they also acknowledged the forces could be re-tasked swiftly should the president order direct action.
“The build-up positions us to respond if necessary,” a senior defense official said on the condition of anonymity.
The possibility of American strikes on Iranian targets has fueled speculation in Washington and abroad, particularly as Israel continues its barrage on Iranian military infrastructure. According to Israeli military statements, more than 70 Iranian missile defense systems have been destroyed in recent days, and critical radar installations in western Iran have been rendered inoperable. Iran, in turn, launched volleys of missiles into Israel overnight, further escalating the hostilities.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll is mounting. A prominent human rights group reported that fatalities in Iran have exceeded 450. In Tehran, fears of wider conflict led to traffic gridlock and long queues at gas stations, with residents rushing to flee the capital ahead of anticipated further attacks.
In a message on Truth Social, Mr. Trump claimed that U.S. intelligence had identified the precise location of Iran’s supreme leader but asserted that Washington was refraining from targeting him “for now.” The president called the Iranian leadership “exposed,” but suggested restraint – at least temporarily.
Vice President J.D. Vance said on social media that the president "may" feel compelled to act further to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions. “That decision belongs to the president,” he wrote, echoing administration talking points that frame the military posture as both firm and flexible.
International reactions remain mixed. In Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented that Israel’s actions were “doing the hard work others have avoided” – a thinly veiled endorsement of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The U.N. nuclear watchdog confirmed that Israeli munitions had hit underground chambers at Natanz, the core of Iran’s enrichment operations. The UK has also already repositioned fighter jets to the Middle East.
Iranian officials have signaled a conditional openness to diplomacy, but only if Israeli airstrikes cease. With no end to the violence in sight, however, analysts warn that the conflict risks spilling beyond bilateral hostilities and entangling major powers.
As of Tuesday evening, the world waited for the next move – one that, according to State Department officials, will come from Mr. Trump alone.
