Donald Trump says his decision on attacking Iran will come 'within the next two weeks'
Donald Trump says he will make a decision "within the next two weeks" about whether the United States will attack Iran as hostilities between the Islamist regime and Israel continue.
In a White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a direct quote from the president.
"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,'" Mr Trump said.
Ms Leavitt said "if there's a chance for diplomacy, the president's always going to grab it", but warned an attack is still a very live option.
"He is a peacemaker-in-chief. He is the peace-through-strength president," she said.
"But believe me, the president is unafraid to use strength if necessary. And Iran, and the entire world should know that the United States military is the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world and we have capabilities that no other country on this planet possesses."
It is believed only American so-called bunker-busting bombs can reach Iran's Fordo nuclear facility.
The message from Donald Trump that he will make a decision about US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict within the next two weeks comes as US media is reporting the president has seen plans for how an attack would be carried out.
CBS News has reported the president approved these plans on Tuesday night, local time. And the Wall Street Journal is reporting a similar line, citing sources close to Mr Trump's deliberations.
Mr Trump shot down the WSJ reporting saying: "The Wall Street Journal has no idea what my thoughts are about Iran!"
Both outlets said the president was holding off in the hope Iran would abandon its nuclear program and a deal could be negotiated.
Mr Leavitt was asked what a deal with Iran would need to entail.
"No enrichment of a uranium. Iran is not absolutely not able to achieve a nuclear weapon," she said.
"The president has been very clear about that. And by the way, the deal that special envoy Witkoff proposed to the Iranians was both realistic and acceptable within its terms and that's why the president sent that deal to them."
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, three diplomats told Reuters.
Asked whether to clarify what the US believed about how far Iran was from possessing a nuclear weapon, Ms Leavitt said: "Let's be very clear. Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon" she said.
"All they need is a decision from the Supreme leader to do that.
"And 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."
Mr Trump's director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to Congress in March that the intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon".
This week, Mr Trump said "I don't care what she said" regarding Ms Gabbard's comments. In his view, Iran was 'very close' to having a nuclear bomb.
Ms Gabbard has since blamed the media for misconstruing her earlier testimony.
Ms Leavitt also said "Iran is in a very weak and vulnerable position because of the strikes and the attacks from Israel".
"Iran can and should make a deal," she said.
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