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The United States has not ruled out potential strike options to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, including the use of tactical nuclear weapons, U.S. -based Fox News reported Thursday.
However, The Guardian reported that while such an option was floated during a recent security meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump is not currently considering the use of tactical nuclear weapons against the site.
President Trump said Thursday he would decide within two weeks whether to launch strikes on Iran, citing the potential for upcoming negotiations.
"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," Trump said in a statement read aloud by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The announcement comes as Trump faces division within the Republican Party over potential U.S. involvement in Israel’s military campaign against Iran.
Conservative figures including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Sen. Rand Paul, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have publicly warned against direct U.S. military action, citing concerns over becoming entangled in another costly foreign war—a position Trump championed during his earlier campaigns.
In contrast, hawkish voices within the GOP, including Sens. Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz, have urged a more aggressive approach.
Leavitt emphasized Thursday that the president’s position on Iran’s nuclear ambitions remains unchanged.
"Nobody should be surprised by the president's position that Iran absolutely cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. He's been unequivocally clear about this for decades," Leavitt said at the White House briefing.
She said Iran has "all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon," and only requires a final decision from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. If given, she said, Iran could build a weapon within weeks.
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“That would pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world,” she added.
Leavitt said preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a position broadly shared by the international community, including Russia.
Iran, for its part, continues to insist that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes.
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