Washington: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has not yet decided whether U.S. forces will directly support Israel's ongoing military operations against Iran. Despite growing regional tensions and rising casualties, Trump hinted that diplomacy was not entirely off the table, though he admitted that talks with Iran were becoming increasingly unlikely.
“I may do it, I may not. Nobody knows,” Trump told reporters when asked if the U.S. would join Israel’s strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets. He added that while negotiations with Tehran were still possible, it was “very late to be talking.”
Trump claimed Iranian officials had previously signaled willingness to engage in talks, even proposing a delegation to the White House. However, he said the time for diplomacy had likely passed since Israel began its intense bombardment of Iranian targets.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations strongly rejected Trump’s assertions, accusing him of fabricating claims about Iranian outreach. “No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” the mission said in a statement, which also blasted Trump’s recent threat to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader as cowardly and provocative.
As the Israel-Iran conflict entered its sixth day, fears of a wider war intensified. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a fresh barrage of missiles targeting Israeli cities, while Israel continued its air campaign, striking what it said were key nuclear infrastructure sites in Iran, including facilities in Tehran and Karaj monitored under the defunct 2015 nuclear deal.
According to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the bombed sites were under previous oversight through the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the Trump administration exited in 2018. The Israeli military claimed the overnight airstrikes, involving over 50 fighter jets, dealt a significant blow to Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Iranian officials warned that any U.S. involvement would trigger a full-scale regional war. Tehran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated bluntly that Washington’s intervention would have dire consequences for global stability. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei echoed those sentiments in a televised address, cautioning that “any U.S. military move will inflict irreversible damage” and vowing retaliation.
Meanwhile, Iran has endured heavy losses. Though the government has not updated its official toll since reporting over 220 deaths, independent rights groups estimate the death count to be over 450, including civilians and military personnel. Videos emerging from Tehran show gridlocked roads as residents flee the capital following Trump’s earlier public warning urging civilians to evacuate.
Israel has also suffered losses, though on a smaller scale. At least 24 people have been killed by Iranian missiles that managed to evade the country’s air defenses.
With the humanitarian toll rising, the U.S. embassy in Israel announced its closure until at least Saturday. American military aircraft have reportedly increased movements to European bases, in what analysts believe is a strategic repositioning in case of U.S. military escalation.
Flight tracking data showed dozens of U.S. tanker aircraft headed toward Europe in recent days, including stops in the UK and Spain. Military experts interpreted these movements as signs of preparations for potential combat operations in the Middle East.
While multiple media reports suggest that Israel has requested U.S. military assistance, sources ,cited by CBS, said that Trump is considering ordering strikes on heavily fortified Iranian nuclear sites such as Fordo, a facility that would be difficult for Israel to reach without American support. There is division among Trump’s advisers about direct involvement, but military assets appear to be mobilizing in anticipation of a possible presidential order.
Despite the increasing likelihood of American engagement, Trump maintains that Iran must accept total defeat. “Unconditional surrender — that’s what it means. No more deals. I’ve had enough,” he said Wednesday, repeating earlier threats aimed directly at Khamenei.
Iran’s leadership responded by reaffirming its stance against coercion. “We will never surrender,” Khamenei said, warning that Israel would face consequences for what he called a “grave miscalculation.”
As tensions mount and threats multiply, the world watches closely to see if diplomacy can survive—or if the region is on the verge of an even more dangerous escalation.
