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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed potential American backing for an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The discussions reportedly covered a range of U.S. support options, from direct military assistance—including intelligence sharing and aerial refueling—to political backing for an Israeli ultimatum demanding Iran abandon its nuclear program.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump
(Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
According to the report, the United States has already provided Israel with bunker-busting bombs, capable of severely damaging Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, including those buried deep in the Fordow complex near Qom.
American and Israeli officials quoted in the report said that Israel has made it clear it will strike Iran’s nuclear infrastructure with or without U.S. support if Tehran refuses a “Libya-style abandonment” of its nuclear program.
The Biden administration has so far declined to endorse Israel’s ultimatum, shifting the decision on American backing to Trump. Recent intelligence reports cited by major U.S. media outlets suggest that Washington believes an Israeli strike on Iran is likely in the first half of 2025. CNN further reported that Israel’s objectives extend beyond neutralizing Iran’s nuclear capabilities—it aims to destabilize and potentially topple the Iranian regime.
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Meanwhile, European intelligence sources reported that Iran recently received over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a key component in the production of solid-fuel propellants for its mid-range missiles. The shipment, which arrived at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port on Thursday, contains enough material to produce approximately 260 solid rocket motors for Iran’s Kheibar Shekan missiles or 200 Haj Qasem ballistic missiles, according to CNN.
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Israeli strikes on Iran
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded defiantly on Thursday, warning that even if Iran’s nuclear facilities were attacked, the country’s ability to rebuild them would remain intact.
"They threaten us that they will hit nuclear facilities... If you (the enemy) strike a hundred of those, we will build a thousand others," Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian state media. "You can hit the buildings and the places, but you cannot hit those who build them."
Following Israel’s October 2024 strike on Iran, Tehran’s missile production capacity reportedly dropped to just one missile per week, while its air defenses were severely impacted. Israeli officials now view this as an opportunity to further restrict Iran’s nuclear ambitions before it can fully recover.
With regional tensions escalating and diplomatic efforts at an impasse, the possibility of an Israeli preemptive strike remains high, with implications for both U.S. foreign policy and Middle Eastern stability.