Trump approved a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but waits for a signal from Tehran to negotiate

Donald Trump gave the go-ahead to the possibility of attacking Iran's nuclear facilities. So, the Wall Street Journal and ABC News reported after speaking with sources who were knowledgeable about the White House discussions. As the days pass and tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East, the president and his advisers are not ruling out taking action should Tehran refuse to negotiate dismantling its nuclear program.

According to the WSJ, the Trump administration is discussing next steps regarding Iran. Among the options is attacking the Fordow nuclear base, which is the most technologically advanced and built inside a fortified mountain.

"President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program, people familiar with the deliberations said," the news outlet noted.

"It would not be just one strike on the facility, it would be several"

ABC News reported something similar: "President Donald Trump is getting comfortable with the idea of taking out Iran's Fordow nuclear facility. It would not be just one strike on the facility, it would be several. There is now a movement to get ready for this."

If Fordow were attacked, because of its subway location, it would require special weaponry. The only option is the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, better known as the "bunker buster." It is specifically designed to penetrate deep subway structures.

Each bomb weighs 13,600 kg and can penetrate up to 60 meters of reinforced concrete or more than 100 meters of compacted earth. Only the United States has one in its arsenal.

According to Axios, the central question in the White House is whether an attack would completely destroy the nuclear facility.

"President Donald Trump is getting comfortable with the idea of taking out Iran's Fordo nuclear facility. It would not be just one strike on the facility, it would be several. There is now a movement to get ready for this. (....) Trump wants to make sure such an attack is really needed, wouldn't drag the U.S. into a prolonged war in the Middle East — and most of all, would actually achieve the objective of destroying Iran's nuclear program, U.S. officials say," they explained.