White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision within the next two weeks on U.S. involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran. Leavitt cited a quote from Trump stating that, given the potential for negotiations with Iran in the near future, he would make a decision on military action within the next two weeks. The statement comes as tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate, with both nations having recently launched attacks on each other’s territory. Leavitt emphasized that the president’s top priorities are preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and ensuring stability in the Middle East. While Leavitt provided details about the ongoing negotiations with Iran, she refused to disclose specific information about the talks. The potential for military action is a significant concern, given the risk of further escalation in the region and the potential impact on global oil prices.
Leavitt stated that there have been six rounds of direct and indirect negotiations with Iran. She said that talks continue but declined to provide details. When asked if Trump would strike Iran if negotiations failed, Leavitt repeatedly said the president would make a decision ‘whether or not to go’ within the next two weeks. When pressed about the reliability of that timeline, given previous delays on other global matters, Leavitt insisted that the conflicts are different. ‘President Trump inherited global instability from the last administration. He is always interested in diplomacy but not afraid to use strength,’ Leavitt said.
Leavitt also warned that Iran is weeks away from achieving a nuclear weapon, which would pose a threat to the United States and Israel. She said that Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon and that all it needs is a decision from the Supreme Leader to do that. ‘It would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would, of course, pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world,’ Leavitt told reporters. The president’s top priorities are ensuring that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and providing peace and stability in the Middle East.
Leavitt called on the public to trust the president’s instincts amid some dissenting voices among his base. ‘Trust in President Trump. President Trump has incredible instincts and President Trump kept America and the world safe in his first term implementing a peace through strength foreign policy agenda,’ Leavitt said.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday, Trump declined to say if he had made a decision on the U.S. joining Israel’s military campaign. ‘I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,’ he said. Trump also said this week that Iran must ‘make a deal now – or face even more brutal military action.’
Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday, targeting its nuclear facilities and taking out some of the country’s top military generals. Iran has been responding by hitting Tel Aviv and other locations. An Iranian missile barrage hit the Soroka Hospital on Thursday morning, injuring more than 70 people, Israel said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that the Iranian attack amounts to a war crime, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation for the strike.