The White House is enveloped in a cloud of suspense and conflicting signals as President Donald Trump weighs a momentous decision: whether to deploy U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-busting munitions on Iran’s heavily fortified Fordo nuclear facility. The intrigue has sparked a frenzy of contradictory reports, leaving allies, adversaries, and observers on edge.

According to CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC News, Trump has greenlit a military strike plan targeting the Fordo installation, buried deep within a mountain near Qom. Yet, sources say that the president has not issued a final order, keeping the world guessing about his next move. The plan, if executed, would see the U.S. unleash its Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound bomb designed to obliterate deeply entrenched targets. Such a strike would mark a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Iran relations and could reshape the geopolitical landscape.

Complicating the picture, The New York Times reports that Iranian officials are slated to meet with U.S. representatives “soon,” hinting at a possible diplomatic off-ramp. The prospect of talks has fueled speculation that Trump, known for his deal-making instincts, may be holding the military option as leverage to extract concessions from Tehran. Yet, with no concrete timeline for these discussions, the diplomatic path remains shrouded in uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Axios paints a different portrait, suggesting Trump harbors doubts about the potential strike’s efficacy. Sources close to the president indicate he questions whether even the MOP can fully neutralize Fordo’s nuclear capabilities, given its subterranean defenses. This hesitation, Axios notes, stems from intelligence assessments that cast doubt on the operation’s ability to deliver a decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Adding another layer of intrigue, Semafor reports that a strike may be increasingly unlikely due to a limited U.S. stockpile of bunker-busting munitions. The Pentagon, according to defense officials cited by Semafor, faces logistical constraints that could hamper its ability to sustain a prolonged campaign against Fordo and other fortified Iranian sites.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that the U.S. is gearing up for a strike on Iran, with the attack expected to come with the next few days – possibly over the weekend.

Curiously, Israel, which has long viewed Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat, has not formally requested U.S. assistance in bombing Fordo, according to multiple reports. While a U.S. strike would undoubtedly aid Israel’s strategic objectives, the IDF appear confident in their own audacious – and still secret – plan to neutralize the facility. Lacking the U.S.’s heavy bunker-busting bombs, Israeli military planners are reportedly banking on a high-risk operation involving elite special forces to infiltrate and destroy Fordo from within.

This approach draws inspiration from a recent Israeli commando raid in Syria, where operatives successfully dismantled an Assad-era weapons facility. The IDF’s plan for Fordo would involve penetrating the heavily guarded site, sabotaging critical infrastructure, and escaping before Iranian forces could mount a counterattack. Such an operation would be a staggering display of military prowess but carries immense risks, including the potential for significant casualties and regional retaliation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)