Netanyahu, Trump Speak as US Weighs Joining Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites

NBC News reported that Trump is reviewing several options regarding Iran, including direct military action. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Kane and other senior military officials were seen leaving the White House after the meeting. 

While the international community watches Trump closely, wondering whether the US will join Israel’s war against Iran, the White House released an unusually light public schedule for the president. 

Aside from the swearing-in of Charles Kushner—father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared—as US ambassador to France and Monaco, the only other item is a closed-door lunch with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir. The timing of the meeting has drawn attention given Pakistan’s proximity to Iran. 

According to the New York Times, Iran has already begun preparing missiles and other military equipment for potential retaliation against US bases in the Middle East, should the US enter the conflict. 

Two officials with access to the intelligence said the Houthis may also resume attacks on American targets, which would mark their first such action since a ceasefire agreement was reached. 

Fordow is Iran’s second most important uranium enrichment facility after the larger Natanz site, which was already hit in Israel’s opening strike. Located near the city of Qom, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Tehran, Fordow was built deep into a mountainside at an estimated depth of 260 to 300 feet (80 to 90 meters) to withstand airstrikes. 

Iran began its construction around 2006 but only disclosed its existence in 2009 after Western intelligence agencies had already discovered it. Then-US President Barack Obama said the facility’s size and structure were “inconsistent with a peaceful nuclear program.” 

Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, uranium enrichment at Fordow was to be halted entirely for 15 years. However, Iran resumed operations following the US withdrawal from the agreement. 

The site now houses around 2,000 centrifuges, most of them advanced IR-6 models, with approximately 350 enriching uranium to 60% purity, according to a Reuters report. In 2024, Iran was reported to have significantly expanded the facility. 

Fordow has also been the target of alleged sabotage attempts. In 2013, Western media reported an explosion that supposedly destroyed much of the site and trapped hundreds of workers. 

Tehran denied the incident but acknowledged a separate explosion the year prior that damaged high-voltage power lines supplying the facility—disrupting power is one known method of disabling centrifuges. In 2022, Iran claimed it had foiled another sabotage plot allegedly orchestrated by Mossad [Israel’s intelligence agency], involving the recruitment of a neighbor of one of the site's employees.