According to U.S. government officials, President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of attacking Iran to end the conflict between Iran and Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump is considering whether to carry out a military strike on Iran as he urges the country's leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to 'surrender' in the conflict with Israel.
According to U.S. officials who spoke to NBC News on June 17, a U.S. strike on Iran is one of the options Trump is considering after meeting with top national security officials in the White House Situation Room.
The meeting took place that afternoon, just hours after Trump warned Khamenei that the U.S. knows 'exactly where he is hiding.'
On the social media platform Truth Social, Trump emphasized: 'Our patience is running thin. He is an easy target but is safe in his hideout. We will not eliminate him, at least not now.'
“But we do not want to see missiles fired at civilians or American soldiers,” the White House chief noted.
In a subsequent post, Trump made clear what he wanted from Iran: 'Unconditional surrender!'
Trump's administration emphasized that the U.S. was not directly involved in Israel's preemptive strike last weekend. This attack marked the beginning of 5 days of retaliatory fire between the two Middle Eastern countries.
However, Trump's latest comments suggest that the U.S. is ready to threaten direct military intervention in Iran.
According to CNBC, the U.S. President's threat to Khamenei came about two days after reports emerged that Trump had rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate the supreme leader.
On June 16, the New York Times reported that Trump is considering whether to help Israel destroy Iran's underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo. The attack could only be carried out with the largest 'bunker buster' bomb from the U.S.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the New York Times report or other questions related to the latest developments in the Israel-Iran conflict.
The U.S. stock market slid on June 17 as geopolitical tensions rose. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 300 points (equivalent to 0.7%), while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively.
Crude oil futures rose nearly 4.3% to nearly $75 a barrel.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is deploying additional warships and another aircraft carrier to China, NBC News reported. Previously, the U.S. had deployed military equipment to the region to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles and artillery.