How Trump 'backed out of nuking Iran
By JAMES REYNOLDS
Donald Trump told defence officials it would only make sense for the U.S. to join Israel in striking Iran if its 'bunker buster' bombs are guaranteed to be able to destroy the key enrichment site at Fordow, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Officials were said to have been told that the U.S. would have to soften the ground with conventional bombs before dropping a tactical nuclear weapon from a B2 Bomber to completely destroy the site, believed to be some 90 metres underground.
But Trump is said to have ruled out nuking Iran, insiders told the Guardian. The possibility was said not to have been raised by defence secretary Pete Hegseth or chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Dan Caine during recent meetings in the Situation Room.
Trump said late on Thursday that he will now decide in the next two weeks whether to join in military action against Iran, before British and European diplomats were to meet with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday.
Russia warned today that any use of tactical nuclear weapons in Iran would be 'catastrophic' amid fears it could spark wider conflict across the Middle East.
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04:58
Trump would only join strikes on Iran if U.S. can avoid using nuclear weapons, officials say
Donald Trump told defence officials it would only make sense for the U.S. to join Israel in striking Iran if its 'bunker buster' bombs are guaranteed to be able to destroy the key enrichment site at Fordow, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Officials were said to have been told that the U.S. would have to soften the ground with conventional bombs before dropping a tactical nuclear weapon from a B2 Bomber to completely destroy the site, believed to be some 90 metres underground.
But Trump is said to have ruled out nuking Iran, insiders told the Guardian. The possibility was said not to have been raised by defence secretary Pete Hegseth or chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Dan Caine during recent meetings in the Situation Room.
Trump said late on Thursday that he will now decide in the next two weeks whether to join in military action against Iran, before British and European diplomats were to meet with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday.
Russia warned today that any use of tactical nuclear weapons in Iran would be 'catastrophic' amid fears it could spark wider conflict across the Middle East.
ANKARA, TURKIYE - JUNE 18: An infographic titled "Israel's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities bring 'bunker buster' bombs into spotlight" created in Ankara, Turkiye on June 18, 2025. As tensions escalate following Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear sites, there is speculation that the US could supply Tel Aviv with bunker buster bombs for potential strikes on the Fordow nuclear facilityif Washington opts to provide direct support. (Photo by Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
04:20
Pictures: Israeli bomb disposal experts at scene of latest Iran strike
These pictures show Israeli bomb experts at the scene of the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack in southern Israel today.
For the second day in a row Beersheba has come under attack as the missile struck a road near several apartment blocks.
The strike has created a large crater and caused several cars to catch alight. The Times of Israel is reporting seven people suffered minor injuries with some substantial damage to homes.
BEERSHEBA, ISRAEL - JUNE 20: Israeli police officers and bomb disposal experts are seen working at the impact site after a missile reportedly launched from Iran struck the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on June 20, 2025. Authorities began investigations following the incident as part of broader security measures amid ongoing regional tensions. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
BEERSHEBA, ISRAEL - JUNE 20: Israeli police officers and bomb disposal experts are seen working at the impact site after a missile reportedly launched from Iran struck the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on June 20, 2025. Authorities began investigations following the incident as part of broader security measures amid ongoing regional tensions. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A member of the Israeli security forces checks the destruction at site of an Iranian missile attack in a residential area in Beersheba in southern Israel, on June 20, 2025. Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on June 20, a week into the war between the longtime enemies. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP) (Photo by MAYA LEVIN/AFP via Getty Images)
04:14
Donald Trump 'increasingly relying on a small group of advisors' for input on Iran
Donald Trump is said to be increasingly relying on a small group of advisors for input on Iran as he debates whether or not to join Israel's military action.
Two defence officials and a senior administration official told NBC News that the U.S. President has closed his inner circle in a report published on Friday.
Another senior administrational official said that while Trump routinely crowdsources for ideas, he is listening to only a handful of officials for decision-making.
These include his Vice President, chief of staff, deputy chief of staff and Secretary of State, the official said.
Trump was also said to have sidelined National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, who opposes strikes in Iran.
And he has not been leaning on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, officials said.
The possibility of kinetic action against Iran remains deeply divisive within the administration and without.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (15364252p) United States President Donald J Trump answers reporters questions during a meeting with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US,. President Trump Holds a Meeting with Members of the Juventus Soccer Club, Washington, District of Columbia, USA - 18 Jun 2025
United States President Donald J Trump on June 18
03:55
Iran refusing to talk to US because it is 'partner' in Israeli 'crimes'
This handout picture provided by the Iranian foreign ministry shows Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meeting with ambassadors of foreign countries in Tehran on June 15, 2025. Israel and Iran traded heavy fire for a third straight day on June 15, with mounting casualties and expanding targets marking a sharp escalation in hostilities between the longtime foes. (Photo by Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / IRAN'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by -/Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has claimed Tehran has refused talks with Washington because it is a 'partner' in Israeli 'crimes'.
Speaking on state television, Araghchi said Iran is not planning any contact with the US for the time being.
His remarks come just hours after the White House indicated Donald Trump will decide whether or not the US gets directly involved in the conflict within the next two weeks.
Araghchi said that while negotiations with the US are not on the horizon, Iran had no issue engaging with other countries as officials meet European leaders in Geneva later today.
The minister said those talks were limited to nuclear and regional issues and that Iran will not negotiate regarding its missile capabilities.
03:43
Khondab reactor damaged - but no 'radiological consequence', UN's nuclear watchdog says
The Iranian Khondab heavy water research reactor was damaged in Israeli strikes on Thursday, but no 'radiological consequence' is expected, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
The UN's nuclear watchdog assessed that because the facility was still under construction and not operational, it contained no nuclear material.
Rafael Grossi assured that, as a result, no radiological consequence was expected.
Reactors like the facility near the city of Arak can be used for scientific purposes, but will create plutonium as a byproduct. This could be used for nuclear weapons.
03:37
Not the time for popular uprising as Israeli strikes continue, dissidents say
Iran's fragmented opposition groups think their moment may be close at hand, but activists involved in previous bouts of protest say they are unwilling to unleash mass unrest, even against a system they hate, with their nation under attack.
Exiled opponents of the Islamic Republic, themselves deeply divided, are urging street protests. In the borderlands, Kurdish and Baluchi separatist groups look poised to rise up, with Israeli strikes pummelling Iran's security apparatus.
While the Islamic Republic looks weaker than at nearly any point since soon after the 1979 revolution, any direct challenge to its 46-year rule would likely require some form of popular uprising.
Triggering regime change is certainly one war goal for Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing Iranians to say 'we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom'.
But while Israeli strikes have targeted a security hierarchy that crushed previous bouts of protest, they have also caused great fear and disruption for ordinary people - and anger at both Iranian authorities and Israel, the activists said.
FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY/File Photo
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025.
TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 19: The Iranian Red Crescent ambulance targeted in the Israeli attack on June 16 in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, in which two healthcare workers lost their lives, is being displayed in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran, Iran on June 19, 2025. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Iranian Red Crescent ambulance targeted in the Israeli attack on June 16 in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, in which two healthcare workers lost their lives, is being displayed in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran, Iran on June 19, 2025
'How are people supposed to pour into the streets? In such horrifying circumstances, people are solely focused on saving themselves, their families, their compatriots, and even their pets,' said Atena Daemi, a prominent activist who spent six years in prison before leaving Iran.
One activist, who was jailed for five months after the 2022 protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, said she believed in regime change in Iran but that it was not time to take to the streets.
She and her friends were not planning to stage or join rallies, she said, and dismissed calls from abroad for protests. 'Israel and those so-called opposition leaders abroad only think about their own benefit,' she said.
03:18
Foreign Secretary heads to Geneva for nuclear talks
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is to join with top European diplomats and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme.
Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Britain and the EU are urging de-escalation, with David Lammy saying the next two weeks are 'a window... to achieve a diplomatic solution'.
Lammy yesterday met with American Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House.
Al Jazeera, reporting from Washington, reports: 'We're told that Lammy came away with a genuine feeling that Trump does want to see a deal [with Iran]'.
After days of escalatory comments suggesting the U.S. could join Israel in its hitherto unilateral strikes against Iran, Donald Trump decided overnight to open a two-week negotiating window before deciding on striking Iran.
'Based on the fact that there's 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 readout from Trump said, shared late Thursday.
Leaders will today convene in Geneva to see if there is a way back to the negotiating table, after talks in Oman were called off.
'I've received several phone calls reassuring me that the Zionist regime [Israel] would not target' Araghchi en route to Geneva, his adviser Mohammad Reza Ranjbaran said on X.
Separately, the UN Security Council is also due to convene on Friday for a second session on the conflict, at Iran's request with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, London. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called an emergency Cobra committee today to discuss the security situation in the Middle East, the PA news agency understands. Picture date: Wednesday June 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, London on Wednesday, June 18
03:14
Lebanon will not enter the war, assures top politician
'I am 200 per cent sure Lebanon will not enter the war,' senior politician and parliament speaker Nabih Berri told local MTV News last night.
'It has no interest in doing so and would pay a heavy price. Iran does not need us. It is Israel that needs support.'
Israel has been cautioning Iranian proxy group Hezbollah not to involve itself as Israel and Iran continue to exchange blows.
Late last year, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to terms that would see Hezbollah retract and more Lebanese army troops brought in to patrol the border with the U.N.
Israel has nonetheless continued strikes into Lebanon, hitting southern Beirut on the eve of Eid Al Adha earlier this month.
The military claimed it had identified a Hezbollah unit producing 'thousands' of drones underground, funded by 'Iranian terrorists'.
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