(The Center Square) President Donald Trump is expected to return to the White House Saturday evening to meet with his national security team amid unconfirmed reports that B-2 bombers are on the move.
The Center Square can confirm the president is scheduled to return to the White House Saturday evening after spending roughly 24 hours at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Upon his return to the White House, the president will hold a national security meeting.
Fox News is reporting that six B-2 stealth bombers out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri are en route to the Indo-Pacific region.
The movement of B-2 bombers to the region would be significant. The planes can carry two 30,000 bunker-buster bombs needed to target Iran’s Fordow complex, an Iranian fuel enrichment plant. It is unclear exactly how deep the enrichment site is in the mountain.
The president has repeatedly said that Iran can’t have nuclear weapons, maintaining that the Islamic Republic is on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons.
During a press briefing Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a statement from the president saying he would decide to engage in military action against Iran within the next two weeks.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in the statement.
The president spoke to reporters Friday on his way to Bedminster, underscoring the urgency of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“I’m right about the [nuclear] material that [Iran] gathered already. It’s a tremendous amount of material, and I think within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months, they’re going to be able to have a nuclear weapon. We can’t let that happen,” said the president.
When asked about the two-week timeline he is giving Iran, the president specified that “two weeks would be the maximum,” adding that he is giving them time to see if they will “come to their senses.”
On Tuesday, in a series of social media posts, the president announced control over Iranian airspace and knowledge of where Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s supreme leader, is being held while also calling for an “unconditional surrender.”
In the post, Trump claimed that Khomeini was “safe” for now but wouldn’t rule out targeting the leader.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In a prior post, Trump touted complete control over Iranian airspace.
“We have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA,” Trump posted.
It is still unclear if the president was referring to U.S., Israeli, or a combination when talking about “we.”
Achieving control over Iranian airspace could be key to any U.S. involvement in carrying out missions to eliminate nuclear capabilities inside the Islamic Republic.
The latest development comes ahead of this week’s NATO summit in the Netherlands. The president dismissed European involvement in talks with Iran.
“Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe,” the president told reporters on Friday.
Israel began its strikes against Iran on June 12, which have resulted in Israel eliminating several top Iranian officials and nuclear scientists. Despite Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow air defense systems, Iranian ballistic missiles and drones been successful in striking several places inside Israel, including a major hospital.
