Trump rejects WSJ claim of approving strikes on Iran

US President Donald Trump has denied a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report that he approved plans for military strikes on Iran in a closed meeting but has stopped short of giving a final order.

“The Wall Street Journal has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!” Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social, Caliber.Az reports.

Earlier today, June 19, the WSJ reported that President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday, June 18, he approved attack plans on Iran but was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program. 

Meanwhile, the conflict in the Middle East has escalated into its seventh day, with Israel and Iran exchanging fire. An Iranian missile struck an Israeli hospital, while Israel said it targeted 100 sites in Iran, including the heavy-water reactor in Arak and a nuclear development site in Natanz.

The US recently bolstered its military presence in the region, deploying a third Navy destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean and sending a second carrier strike group toward the Arabian Sea. The Pentagon called the buildup defensive but acknowledged it also positions the US to support potential Israeli strikes or pressure Iran.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Iran would not surrender and cautioned that any US military intervention would have severe consequences.

By Khagan Isayev