President Donald Trump has reported to the West Wing’s Situation Room multiple times in recent days as the conflict in Iran comes to a rolling boil and the U.S. considers launching its own attacks on the Islamic Republic over mounting concerns it could produce a nuclear weapon in a short span of time.
Trump has told reporters that he may or may not proceed with U.S. strikes on Iran, stressing that Iran’s leaders have faced significant challenges and should have sought negotiation earlier. ‘I may do it. I may not do it… why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction?’
Fox News Digital spoke to previous presidential administration officials – Fox News host and former Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who served under the first Trump administration, and former National Security Advisor under the first Trump administration John Bolton, who also served as ambassador to the U.N. under President George W. Bush’s administration. Both conveyed the serious and historic tone the room and its meetings typically hold.
The Situation Room, a high-tech 5,000-square-foot complex in the West Wing of the White House, includes multiple conference rooms and was commissioned by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow the Castro regime in Cuba. The complex was built to provide future presidents a dedicated area for crisis management, and has been revamped in 2’thirty-six years. The facility’s purpose is to enable quick and effective decision-making during crises.
Trump again held a meeting in the Situation Room Thursday morning, when he received an intelligence briefing with national security advisers, which followed a Situation Room meeting on Wednesday afternoon, another meeting on Tuesday afternoon with national security advisers and a Monday evening meeting upon his abrupt return from the G7 summit in Canada this week.
Top national security officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown, are involved in the discussions. These deliberations are likely to be restricted to key national security officials due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held a press conference on Thursday – the first since Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on Iran June 12 – and said the next two weeks will be a critical time period as U.S. officials map out next steps. ‘I have a message directly from the president… I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,’ Leavitt said.
Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on Iran June 12 after months of attempted and stalled nuclear negotiations and subsequent heightened concerns that Iran was advancing its nuclear program. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the strikes were necessary to ‘roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.’ He added that if Israel had not acted, ‘Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.’ Dubbed ‘Operation Rising Lion,’ the strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure and killed several senior Iranian military leaders.
Trump has repeatedly urged Iran to make a deal on its nuclear program, but the country pulled out of ongoing talks with the U.S. scheduled for Sunday in Oman. Trump posted to Truth Social, expressing frustration with Iran’s inaction, stating, ‘Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign… simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.’ He urged the Iranian populace to ‘immediately evacuate Tehran.’
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for additional comment on the high-level talks but did not immediately receive a reply.