Israel May Attack Iran's Nuclear Sites
- Aaron Boxerman | New York Times
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Israel May Be Considering an Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
The New York Times
June 12, 2025
Reporting from Jerusalem
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear bomb, “one way or the other.”
A security perimeter is being constructed around multiple peaks of Mount Kolang Gaz La, which holds two underground tunnel complexes.
Israel has long envisioned a military attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. Many in the Middle East, the United States and Europe are now wondering whether that moment has arrived.
On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that officials in the United States and Europe believe that Israel seems to be gearing up for a potential strike, even as the Trump administration is seeking a deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program.
An Israeli attack would risk igniting a regional war that could pull in the United States, which withdrew some diplomats and personnel from the Middle East this week, fearing an Iranian retaliatory strike. President Trump has warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel against attacking Iran, increasing tensions between the two leaders.
It is still unclear whether the heightened tensions reflect a genuine Israeli plan to carry out an attack, or are an attempt at saber rattling to influence the nuclear talks between the United States and Iran.
Here’s what you need to know:
Why might Israel attack now?
Israel has long been determined to prevent Iran, its fiercest enemy, from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Since the rise of the Islamic Republic at the end of the 1970s, Iran’s rulers have repeatedly pledged to destroy Israel.
Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and Gaza. He is based in Jerusalem.
Copyright 2025 The New York Times Company
Trump Acknowledges Israel Could Attack Iran Soon
The New York Times
June 12, 2025
Reporting from Washington
President Trump cautioned that he does not want Israel to launch an attack while negotiations were going on.
President Trump acknowledged on Thursday that there was a significant risk that Israel could soon attack Iran, but he said that “I don’t want them going in” at a moment when progress was being made toward an agreement to shut down Iran’s easiest pathway to building a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Trump said that an attack would likely destroy the chances for a diplomatic solution. “I think it would blow it,” he said, before adding, “might help it actually, but it could also blow it.” His statement came just hours after the administration announced that Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, planned to meet the Iranian foreign minister in Oman on Sunday for another negotiating session.
The somewhat contradictory signals from the White House came amid growing signs that Israel was preparing for a strike of unknown proportions against Iranian sites. Mr. Trump refused to give details of a conversation he held on Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or to say whether, in that conversation, he had given any kind of go-ahead to the Israeli leader to proceed with a strike. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has said that he told Mr. Netanyahu to hold off on any military action while negotiations were ongoing.
Just hours before Mr. Trump spoke, the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations body that inspects nuclear programs to assure there is no diversion of fuel for weapons use, condemned Iran in a resolution for failing to answer questions that have mounted in recent years about possible past military nuclear activity at several sites around the country. In response, Iranian officials vowed to produce even more near-bomb-grade uranium and to open a third nuclear enrichment site, deep underground.
In recent days, Iran has rejected a key demand from the Trump administration: that it must cease all enrichment of uranium, a key fuel for making nuclear weapons. Under a proposal Mr. Witkoff sent to his Iranian counterparts two weeks ago, the country would be able to make that transition slowly, continuing to produce fuel.
David E. Sanger covers the Trump administration and a range of national security issues. He has been a Times journalist for more than four decades and has written four books on foreign policy and national security challenges.
Copyright 2025 The New York Times Company