US President Donald Trump did not oppose IDF strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran should the latter resume moving toward a nuclear weapon, senior US and Israeli officials told The Wall Street Journal in a report late Friday night.
The president had discussed this possibility with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in private, according to the report.
However, the report also stated that Trump would prefer a diplomatic solution rather than more airstrikes.
Netanyahu concluded his trip to the US on Thursday night to return to Israel.
During his conversation with Trump, the US leader said he hoped there would be no more US bombing of Iran, the report said.
Israel doesn't need US approval for strikes, official says
The WSJ report also quoted an Israeli official saying Israel does not necessarily need approval from the United States to return to strikes on the Islamic Republic, adding that the White House would not respond to questions on Trump's talks with Netanyahu.
The Israeli official also told the WSJ that, unlike Iranian nuclear facilities Fordow and Natanz, Isfahan saw its stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium surviving the attack, Israeli officials estimated, and that Tehran could recover material from the site, unlike the other two facilities. However, the official also said that any attempt to retrieve uranium from Isfahan would be quickly detected by Israel, and that the continued targeting of nuclear scientists.
Israel reportedly has intel on where the Islamic Republic may resume its nuclear program, the official added, noting that bunker-busting bombs that can penetrate deep underground are not owned.