The 80-minute Situation Room meeting of Trump's key Cabinet officials Tuesday evening concluded without a clear consensus, CBS News reported, but one option on the table was sending U.S. bombers to destroy underground nuclear sites that are impenetrable to Israeli warplanes.
The network said senior intelligence and Defense Department officials had told it that Iran's heavily fortified Fordow uranium enrichment plant, 300 feet under a mountain near Qom and 85 miles south of Tehran, was one possible target.
Fordow was believed to be the facility most likely to reach a critical threshold where Iran's nuclear development program -- which it has always insisted is for civilian purposes only -- crosses into a program capable of producing a nuclear warhead.
However, there was disagreement at the meeting attended by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and CIA Director John Ratcliffe over exactly what the United States' next step should be.
Israeli airstrikes on the facility with bunker-busting bombs have thus far failed to penetrate the facility, with the International Atomic Energy Agency saying it had sustained no damage as of Monday.
"No damage has been seen at the site of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant or at the Khondab heavy water reactor, which is under construction. Bushehr nuclear power plant has not been targeted nor affected by the recent attacks, and neither has the Tehran Research Reactor," IAEA Secretary General Rafael Grossi told the agency's board.
However, he said Israeli strikes had caused considerable damage to above-ground facilities at Esfahan and Natanz, with one of the plants having produced U-235 uranium enriched up to 60%.
Naturally occurring U-235 uranium contains only a tiny proportion of chain-reacting U-235 isotope and must be "enriched" 3% to 5% for nuclear power purposes. To become weapons-grade, U-235 needs to be enriched to above 90%, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, although the super-enriched uranium is also used to produce isotopes used for nuclear medicine scans and radiotherapy.
The United States has powerful weapons that could, with repeated hits, penetrate a facility such as Fordow.
The BBC reported that would require deployment of America's so-called Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000-pound bomb delivered by the U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber, which can carry two of the monster munitions.
As the conflict entered its sixth day, Israel said it launched airstrikes involving 50 fighter jets overnight against a uranium centrifuge production site and multiple weapons facilities critical to Iran's nuclear weapons and missile programs.
In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces said the centrifuges made at the plant were for enriching uranium beyond civilian levels. Other sites hit included a facility making parts for surface-to-surface missiles used against Israel and another plant making surface-to-air missile components used to target aircraft.
The IDF said the strikes "directly degraded" Iran's ability to threaten Israel and the wider region.
"We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime, and as such, they have been pushed back into central Iran. They are now focusing their efforts on conducting missile fire from the area of Isfahan. We are aiming at military targets; they are attacking civilian homes," IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.
Air raid sirens sounded across large swathes of central and northern Israel just before midnight local time after Iran launched a salvo of missiles at the country, including so-called "Fattah-1" hypersonic missiles.
Warnings sounded again across a smaller area in the north-east about 4.30 a.m. due to what the IDF called "hostile aircraft infiltration."
Trump and Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei embarked on a war of words Tuesday with the Trump saying Khamenei would be an "easy target" if the United States and Israel chose to take him out. Trump also called for Tehran's "unconditional surrender."
"The battle begins," Khamenei threatened in a social media post invoking Shia Islam's Haider, the first Shia Imam and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, accompanied by an image of fire raining down on a city.
We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy."
Senate committee grills Hegseth on protests, Middle East
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 18, 2025 -
Some members of the Senate Armed Forces Committee and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred over Los Angeles troop deployments and the Israel-Iran war during a hearing on Wednesday morning.
Hegseth appeared before the committee to answer questions about the proposed $961.6 billion Fiscal Year 2026 defense budget, but the questioning quickly turned to current events.
Sen. Elise Slotkin, D-Mich., said Hegseth deployed 4,700 military personnel to Los Angeles and asked if he had "authorized uniformed military to detain or arrest protesters" there.
"You're not a protester if you are throwing concrete at law enforcement officers," Hegseth responded.
Slotkin agreed "100%," and said, "Throw them in jail," before adding, "What you're doing is something different."
She again asked if Hegseth gave an order for 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to "detain or arrest" protesters in Los Angeles.
Hegseth said his orders to the troops in Los Angeles are a matter of public record and they are there to protect law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while they try to do their jobs.
"If necessary, in their own self-defense, they could temporarily detain or hand over to ICE, but there's no arresting going on," Hegseth said.
"You know this better than anyone," he told Slotkin and accused her of "playing political games."
Slotkin also asked Hegseth if he had "given the order ... to be able to shoot at unarmed protesters in any way."
Hegseth asked what basis Slotkin had to ask the question and what evidence she had to suggest such an order ever had been given.
Slotkin cited a book written by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper in which Esper said he rejected a similar order by President Donald Trump in 2020.
"Senator, I'd be careful what you read in books and believing it, except the Bible," Hegseth responded.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., chastised Hegseth for the troop deployments in Los Angeles and for discussing pending military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in Signal chats.
"I wonder when you will actually focus on our nation's warfighting mission," Duckworth said. "We know that California is just a deliberate, systematic, political and dangerous campaign led by you."
When Duckworth asked if Hegseth plans to remove troops from Los Angeles, he said he will respect a federal appellate court's decision allowing the deployments and not a district court judge's decision against them.
Democratic Party Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire asked Hegseth if Trump had ordered him to create options for military strikes in the Middle East.
Hegseth declined to answer Shaheen's question.
"If I had or had not, I wouldn't disclose that in this forum, senator," Hegseth told Shaheen.
Hegseth and Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., also exchanged barbs as the senator asked if he would fire a staffer who is accused of making anti-Semitic comments.
Rosen cited comments attributed to Defense Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson.
"Since I don't believe the characterization of many officials in the news media, I would need to see precisely what's being characterized," Hegseth responded.
Hegseth said Wilson "does a fantastic job" and accused Rosen of engaging in hyperbole.
Rosen then accused Hegseth of not being "serious" about "rooting out [and] fighting anti-Semitism within the ranks of the Department of Defense."
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