Donald Trump has approved plans to strike Iran, it’s been reported. The US president has apparently given the green light to attack plans but withheld the final order, according to the Wall Street Journal. The outlet claimed that Tehran’s Fordow enrichment facility is a potential target. Buried under a mountain, it’s considered to be unreachable by all but the most powerful bombs. Mr Trump previously said “I may do it, I may not do it” in response to questions surrounding an attack on Iran.

He added: “The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that US intervention in the conflict with Israel would result in disastrous consequences. The US has been bolstering its presence in the Middle East in recent days, with a third Navy destroyer entering the eastern Mediterranean Sea a second carrier strike group heading toward the Arabian Sea.

The Pentagon maintains that this is purely a defensive move as it puts the US in a better position should the president decide to back Israel in its attacks on Iran, as well as putting pressure on Tehran to negotiate.

Mr Trump, like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believes Iran is “very close” to developing a nuclear weapon. However, this directly contradicts a CIA assessment to the contrary.

Netanyahu said his country was making “step by step” advancements to wipe out Iran’s nuclear programme and its ballistic missiles.

This comes after Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, told Congress in March that the intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon”.

She added that Ayatollah Khamenei “has not authorised the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003”. In response, Mr Trump fumed: “I don’t care what she said.”

Sir Keir Starmer also put his Cabinet on red alert for the US to get involved in the conflict during today’s emergency Cobra meeting.

He discussed the US’s potential plans to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities with senior Cabinet ministers, the UK ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, and intelligence and military chiefs.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister chaired a ministerial Cobra meeting this afternoon on the situation in the Middle East.

“Ministers were updated on efforts to support British nationals in region and protect regional security, as well as ongoing diplomatic efforts.”