US President Donald Trump is considering military action against Iran, sources familiar with White House deliberations confirmed to The Wall Street on Wednesday.
Trump indicated to senior aides on Tuesday that he had approved attack plans for Iran, but is delaying a final order, hoping Tehran will abandon its nuclear program, the report stated.
A senior White House official confirmed that various options remain under consideration, with the President closely monitoring Israeli operations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine attended a White House meeting following their testimony on Capitol Hill regarding the situation. While planning for a potential US strike has advanced, diplomatic resolution remains a preference for the President, according to the report.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official told The New York Times on Wednesday that Iran would accept Trump's offer to meet soon.
The official told the newspaper that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would accept such a meeting to discuss a ceasefire with Israel.
Trump denied the Wall Street Journal report on Thursday, writing on Truth Social: "The Wall Street Journal has no idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!"
Trump on Wednesday spoke with the press and discussed the possibility that the US would join Israel to strike the Islamic Republic.
According to Trump, the Iranian regime should have agreed to sign a nuclear deal with the United States.
"I had a great deal for them. They should have made that deal. For 60 days, we talked about it, and in the end, they decided not to do it, and now they wish they had. Now they want to meet. It's a little late to meet, and they want to come to the White House. So we'll see, I may do that, but it's a shame that it wasn't done the easy way," he stated.
Asked about concerns about the US getting involved in another conflict abroad and the consequences of entering the war, the President clarified: "I don't want to get involved either. But I've been saying for 20 years that Iran can not have a nuclear weapon, and I think they were a few weeks away from having one."
He reiterated: "They had to sign a document. I think they wish they had signed it now, it was a fair deal, and now it's a harder thing to sign."
On Tuesday, CBS News reported that Trump is considering joining Israel's strikes of Iranian nuclear sites, including at the facility in Fordow.
According to the report, there is not full agreement among Trump's closest advisers about the idea of joining the Israeli strikes.