U.S. President Donald Trump met his National Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the Israel-Iran crisis, the White House said, as Trump considered whether to join Israel’s air campaign against Tehran.
The meeting in the White House Situation Room lasted around one hour and 20 minutes, a White House official said on condition of anonymity, without giving more details.
The meeting comes after Trump said the United States would not kill Iran’s supreme leader “for now” and demanded Tehran’s “unconditional” surrender, as Israel traded fire with Iran for a fifth day.
U.S. officials said Trump was keeping all options on the table, while insisting that Washington had no hand in the campaign so far.
The most likely option under consideration by Trump would be the use of giant U.S. “bunker-buster” bombs against Iran’s deeply buried Fordow nuclear facility that Israel’s bombs cannot reach.
The New York Times said Trump was also considering allowing U.S. tanker aircraft to refuel Israeli combat jets so they could carry out long range missions.
U.S. officials said dismantling Iran’s nuclear program remained Trump’s priority.
(With input from agencies)
(Cover: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while flying aboard Air Force One en route from Calgary, Canada to Joint Base Andrews, Md., June 16, 2025. /VCG)
Trump meets National Security Council on Iran: White House
