President Donald Trump will make a decision within two weeks on whether to strike on Iran, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday.
Reading a statement from Trump, Leavitt said, “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”
The President’s deadline comes amid escalating strikes between Iran and Israel—and as the U.S. considers direct military action against Iran. On Wednesday, when asked if the U.S. was moving closer to striking Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump told reporters, “I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I’m going to do… I can tell you this. Iran’s got a lot of trouble.”
“The United States government maintains this fact that Iran has never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt went on to say. She noted that the President continues to be briefed by his National Security Council and remains in “constant communication” with the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The attacks between the two countries began last Friday, when Israel launched what it called “preemptive air strikes” targeting more than a dozen sites in Iran. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says that since Israel’s initial missile attack on Iran, 639 people have been killed there and a further 1,329 injured—the organization says that 263 of those killed were civilians and 154 military personnel. In Israel, 24 people have been killed so far by Iranian strikes, with 838 injured.
On Thursday, an Iranian missile strike damaged a hospital in southern Israel, as part of a barrage of strikes Israel said injured 271 people.
Trump’s base is divided as he weighs his options, especially given that he campaigned on a pledge of no new wars.
The two-week timeline opens the door for negotiations, but does not negate the possibility of U.S. involvement. “The president has made it clear he always wants to pursue diplomacy,” Leavitt said. “But believe me the president is unafraid to use strength if necessary.”
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