Could Israel persuade Trump to launch a nuclear strike?

The possibility of using nuclear weapons in US military operations against Iran has once again become a subject of debate. A former senior intelligence official has not ruled out the possibility that Israel could push Trump towards such a move.

TodayPress TV reports, citing Mario Nawfal’s X account, that the former senior intelligence official puts the likelihood at more than 10%. Meanwhile, Iranian state television has broadcast civil defence instructions in the event of a nuclear strike on Mount Pickaxe.

Joe Kent, who headed the National Counterterrorism Center until earlier this year, believes the logic is straightforward: Trump has already bombed all the targets he can reach with conventional weapons, and Iran is unlikely to offer him a deal. When asked what options remain, the Pentagon’s only answer that could change the situation would be the mountain near Natanz, which Trump has pledged to destroy.

What concerns Kent most is the possibility that Israel could propose such a move and Washington could turn a blind eye:

“The Israelis are undoubtedly the wild card in this situation.”

He says Trump still has an opportunity to step back from this course of action. However, a president who has just suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections, has three aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and whose attack plans have already been leaked may be looking for a major victory.

Zahra Mammadova