President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December that he would support strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program if negotiations between Washington and Tehran fail, CBS News reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the conversation took place during a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of national security discussions.
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Photo: Haim Zach/GPO; REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein; Iranian Leader’s Press Office/Handout via Getty Images; IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
CBS News further reported that in recent weeks, senior figures within the U.S. military and intelligence community have begun internal discussions about how Washington might assist in the event of renewed Israeli strikes on Iran.
The report said the deliberations have centered less on whether Israel would act and more on the nature of potential U.S. support. Options under consideration include providing aerial refueling for Israeli aircraft and seeking overflight permissions from countries along a possible route, according to U.S. officials cited by CBS.
It remains unclear which countries would grant such permission. Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have previously stated publicly that they would not allow their airspace to be used for strikes on Iran or for Iranian attacks on other countries.
The reported discussions come as the Trump administration continues diplomatic efforts with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Netanyahu, who has expressed skepticism about diplomacy with Iran, traveled to Washington last week for talks with Trump. He has said any agreement must address not only Iran’s nuclear activities but also its ballistic missile program and funding of regional proxy groups.
Iranian officials have indicated conditional willingness to curb certain levels of uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief, though no written agreement has been announced.
A second round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran is expected to take place Tuesday in Geneva. Iranian state media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation were en route for the discussions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Trump prefers diplomacy and confirmed that envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are traveling for meetings related to the negotiations.
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump described the deployment of additional U.S. naval forces to the region as a precaution in case talks collapse, signaling that Washington is maintaining military readiness alongside diplomatic efforts.