Trump Privately Approved Attack Plans for Iran but Has Withheld Final Order

You know what that is? No not Club Med. That's an aerial photo of Kharg Island. It's about 15 miles off the coast of Iran. It's the singular point where all outgoing shipments of oil which power Iran's economy leave from. Bomb the oil depot points on this small island (would take about 10-15 mins) and Iran's economy is shuttered.

This is Voldemort's Trump card (pun intended). Of course, China who desperately needs this oil would not like seeing the island go up in smoke. The US of course could promise to take up the slack and provide energy assets as part of our arm twisting in the tariff wars.

Does the Dark Lord have a mountain of leverage. He's does. Hopefully he knows how to use it shrewdly and get what we want.

Trump Privately Approved Attack Plans for Iran but Has Withheld Final Order

As the conflict between Iran and Israel continues, President Trump is considering multiple options, including a U.S. strike on Iran.

Last Updated:

June 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM ET

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. Iran’s well-defended Fordow enrichment facility is a possible U.S. target; it is buried under a mountain and generally considered by military experts to be out of reach of all but the most powerful bombs.

Asked earlier if he had decided whether to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump said, “I may do it, I may not do it.” And he repeated his insistence of Iran’s unconditional surrender: “The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week.”

Earlier, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country wouldn’t surrender and warned any U.S. military intervention would bring irreparable consequences.

The U.S. military has built up forces in the Middle East in recent days. A third U.S. Navy destroyer entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a second U.S. carrier strike group is heading toward the Arabian Sea. While the Pentagon said the military build-up is purely defensive, it better positions the U.S. should Trump decide to join Israeli attacks on Iran. It could also be a tactic to pressure Iran to capitulate or make concessions.

Israel and Iran have continued to exchange fire, and the death toll in Iran rose above 450, according to a human-rights group. In Israel, 24 people have died as a result of Iranian strikes.