The armed conflict between Israel and Iran is intensifying, drawing attention to U.S. President Donald Trump's response direction.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 16th (local time) that "if diplomatic solutions between the two countries collapse or Iran refuses to completely halt uranium enrichment, President Trump may consider supporting Israel with 'bunker buster' bombs."
President Trump returned early from the G7 summit held in Canada due to the situation in the Middle East and plans to convene the National Security Council (NSC) shortly after returning to the White House.
Although the agenda of the meeting has not been made public, there are indications that the issue of military support for Israel may be on the table. Previously, it was reported that Israel requested the United States for support of super-large bunker busters GBU-57 to destroy underground nuclear facilities.
Iran has constructed nuclear facilities deep underground in the mountainous Fordow region, and high-powered bombs are needed to destroy them without ground operations. The GBU-57 weighs 13.6 tons and can only be operated by the U.S. military's B-2 stealth bombers.
The NYT reported that the U.S. military has simulated airstrike operations using GBU-57s over Fordow under White House supervision for the past two years. The simulation results indicated that a single bomb would not be sufficient, and multiple B-2 bombers must be used in succession to succeed.
The problem is that if President Trump approves such an operation, the U.S. would effectively be drawn directly into the Middle Eastern war. Trump has repeatedly stated during the election campaign that he would not deploy American soldiers to overseas conflicts.
Iran is also raising the level of its warnings. Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned on the 11th that "all U.S. bases in the region are within our reach," threatening retaliation if U.S. forces support Israel.
On the other hand, if President Trump refuses to support bunker busters, some analysts believe it would be virtually impossible to eliminate Iran's nuclear weapons development capabilities, which are core objectives for Israel.
There is a scenario that suggests disabling centrifuges in Fordow through power cuts, but analysis indicates it is uncertain whether this would effectively incapacitate the key enrichment facilities.
Brett McGurk, former White House NSC coordinator for the Middle East and Africa, emphasized, "Fordow has always been the most critical issue," and stated, "If enrichment continues after this conflict, it cannot be seen as achieving a strategic outcome."