Report: Trump aiming to strike ‘definitive’ blow to Iranian regime

Sources close to the White House say President Trump wants American intervention in Iran to deliver a crushing blow the regime, not merely weaken it.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump is mulling possible responses to Iran’s deadly crackdown on protests with the goal of delivering a “definitive” blow which could ultimately lead to the collapse of the Islamic regime, multiple sources have claimed, according to a report published by NBC News Wednesday night.

The four sources, including an American official, a source close to the White House, and two other unnamed sources, said that the president has instructed his national security team to draft plans for military action in Iran that would have “definitive,” long term effects, rather than merely punish the regime.

“If he does something, he wants it to be definitive,” one of the sources told NBC News.

Trump’s national security team, however, has emphasized in consultations with him that there is no guarantee American military intervention will be able to ensure the immediate collapse of the Islamic Republic.

While the president has for weeks warned Iran not to use force against protesters, he has not yet finalized a decision on how to respond to the killing of thousands of demonstrators by pro-regime forces.

One issue complicating the White House’s deliberations on a possible air campaign in Iran is the limited number of American military assets in the region. The US could find itself struggling to defend against Iranian retaliations, the report said.

The US Navy has dispatched a carrier battlegroup centered around the USS Abraham Lincoln, a 116,000-ton Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, to the region to bolster American forces. The Lincoln and its escorting destroyers are expected to arrive in roughly one week.

The president may initially authorize only limited strikes on Iran, the report said, while keeping a broad campaign on the table, two of the sources said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Trump has not made a decision yet on the Iran strikes, according to the report.

Earlier on Wednesday, hundreds of American soldiers were pulled out of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American airbase in the Middle East.

In June 2025, Iran launched missiles at the Al Udeid base in retaliation to the American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.