Trump Weighs Bunker-Buster Strike on Iran Amid Nuclear Site Concerns: Axios
The U.S. President is weighing a potential U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site using bunker-buster bombs, Axios reports. While pushing for diplomatic solutions, he’s assessing if force is necessary. Israeli pressure grows, but Trump remains undecided, with “all options on the table.”
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – U.S. President Donald Trump is pressing his military advisers on whether a potential strike using massive bunker-buster bombs would succeed in destroying Iran’s most heavily fortified nuclear facility, the Fordow uranium enrichment site, Axios reported Wednesday.
The Fordow facility, buried deep inside a mountain south of Tehran near the city of Qom, has become a central focus as Trump deliberates on whether to join Israel’s ongoing war with Iran. According to Axios, Trump is concerned that any U.S. strike must be both necessary and effective, and most importantly, not pull the country into a prolonged Middle East conflict.
“We're going to be ready to strike Iran. We're not convinced yet that we're necessary,” one U.S. official told Axios. “The President's just not convinced we are needed yet.”
Trump, when asked whether he considers the destruction of Fordow essential, responded: “I have been asked about it by everybody but I haven't made a decision.”
According to a U.S. official quoted by Axios, he emphasized the importance of ensuring Iran’s nuclear program is dismantled, saying, “The end game for us is simple: no nuke.”
Trump has specifically inquired about the effectiveness of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the U.S. military’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb. Pentagon officials reportedly assured him that the MOP could destroy Fordow, though Axios notes it is unclear if Trump is fully convinced. Axios wrote that the MOP has never been used in combat, despite undergoing numerous tests.
Another senior U.S. official, quoted in the Axios report, stated that, “The bunker buster will work. It's not a capabilities issue. We have the capability. But there's an entire plan (for a possible attack). It's not just drop a bunker buster and declare victory.”
Israeli officials are pushing for the Fordow site to be destroyed and believe Trump will ultimately authorize a strike. However, they have also indicated they have alternative options, including a potential special forces raid. Axios cited past Israeli commando operations, such as the 2024 mission that destroyed a missile site in Syria, as a possible model.
Meanwhile, Axios reports that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has been in direct contact with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in recent days. “Let’s talk. You know, because hope springs eternal,” a U.S. official said, noting that Iranian responses have been inconsistent.
On Friday, European foreign ministers from France, Germany, and the UK, along with the EU foreign policy chief, are scheduled to meet Araghchi in Geneva. Axios reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was informed of the meeting during a phone call with the EU’s foreign policy chief.
Trump held another Situation Room meeting Wednesday with his national security team on the Iran-Israel conflict. “The president's patience is running thin every minute that passes. The clock is really ticking for Iran, and all options are on the table,” a U.S. official told Axios.
However, Trump also stressed to reporters that diplomacy remained a possibility. Axios reported that Iran’s mission to the UN posted on social media rejecting negotiations “under duress,” but sources suggest there may still be room for dialogue.
“I have ideas as to what to do. I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, you know, because things change,” Trump said Wednesday, leaving his next move ambiguous.
