Latest news with #USInvolvement
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Trump to decide on US action in Israel-Iran conflict within two weeks
US President Donald Trump will decide whether or not the US gets directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict within the next two weeks, the White House has said. In a White House press briefing, Press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a message directly from Trump:"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."Earlier, Iran's deputy foreign minister told the BBC it would cause "hell" in the region if the US got involved, adding: "This is not America's war." The news comes 24 hours after Trump said he had not made up his mind on joining the conflict. Asked what the message was for "everyday Trump supporters" who have concerns about US involvement, Leavitt said to "trust in President Trump".She added that the president's "top priority" is ensuring that Iran does not successfully construct a nuclear press secretary has so far repeatedly declined to discuss "hypotheticals", including on whether Iranian officials could come to the White House, or whether Trump would seek approval from Congress over any US and his administration have sought to maintain an air of strategic ambiguity - not revealing much publicly about their thinking or potential courses of action."I may do it," he told reporters on Wednesday. "I may not do it."The administration has maintained it believes that Iran has "never been closer" to successfully building a nuclear weapon. Trump has dismissed intelligence assessments - including some given by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in Congress earlier this year - that Iran was not planning to do mounted about Trump's intentions on Wednesday after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected his demand for BBC's US partner CBS reported that Trump had approved plans to attack Iran, but had not made a final decision on whether to go ahead. The US president was holding off in case Iran agreed to abandon its nuclear programme, an intelligence source said. On Thursday Trump responded on Truth Social, saying the Wall Street Journal, where the reports first appeared, had "no idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran". He did not address whether plans had been president is reportedly considering strikes on the Iranian nuclear site Fordo, a subterranean uranium enrichment facility. Iran insists Fordo is used for civilian purposes site's location, hidden away in a mountainside, puts it out of reach of Israel's weaponry. Only the US is considered to have a bomb that might be large enough to destroy Fordo. Diplomatic efforts are under way as the conflict continues, with European foreign ministers set to meet their Iranian counterpart in Switzerland on Friday. Leavitt said that correspondence between American negotiators and the Iranians was earlier reported that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had spoken on the phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC he was hoping for diplomacy as a "first option", but that while bombardment continues "we cannot start any negotiation".He said US involvement would be "hell for the whole region", that would turn the conflict into a "quagmire", continue aggression, and delay an end to the "brutal atrocities".This is "not America's war" and if Trump does get involved, he will always be remembered as "a president who entered a war he doesn't belong in", Khatibzadeh added. Trump's two-week deadline came after a hospital in southern Israel was hit during an Iranian missile attack on Thursday state media reported that the strike targeted a military site next to the hospital, and not the facility itself. Israel's Ministry of Health said 71 people were wounded during the attack on the Soroka Medical Centre. Israel said at least 24 people had been killed in the country since the start of the conflict. Iranian state media last updated its death toll on Sunday 15 June, when it said 224 people had been Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) - a Washington-based human rights organisation that has long tracked Iran - has said 639 people have been killed in Iran since Friday last military continued its strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure on Thursday, saying it had struck an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak in overnight raids which also saw the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz targeted again.
Al Jazeera
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump to decide whether US will strike Iran ‘within two weeks'
United States President Donald Trump will decide on whether his country will join the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks, the White House has said, amid growing speculation of US involvement and fears of wider escalation. On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump had shared a message: '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. That's a quote directly from President Trump,' she said. 'The president is always interested in a diplomatic solution … he is a peacemaker in chief. He is the peace through strength president. And so if there's a chance for diplomacy, the president's always going to grab it. But he's not afraid to use strength as well,' the press secretary added. The US described its ally Israel's initial June 13 strike on Iran as a 'unilateral action'. But Trump himself has signalled that he knew of the attack in advance and supported Israel's military campaign. At the same time, according to the Reuters news agency, which cited three unnamed diplomats, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi several times on the phone since Israel began its attacks. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv and Tehran have continued to trade attacks. On Thursday, Israel targeted Iran's Arak heavy water nuclear reactor. Iran, in turn, hit the Soroka Medical Centre, which it claimed was near an Israeli military and intelligence centre. Over the past few days, Trump has hinted at joining Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, but at the same time has proposed a swift diplomatic solution in a confusing message from Washington. Following a report by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday night that Trump had already signed off on striking Iran but had not decided on when they would do it, the president took to his Truth Social social media account to deny the report. 'The Wall Street Journal has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!' Trump wrote. But Al Jazeera's senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said that Leavitt's comments could well be a ploy, and if so, Trump would be able to use it as a 'pretext in order to camouflage whatever his intentions are and attack tomorrow'. As Araghchi is expected to speak with his British, French and German counterparts in Geneva on Friday, along with the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, to discuss Tehran's nuclear programme, Bishara said Trump could be waiting to hear the outcome of the talks before making his decision to attack. 'If one has to over-interpret, I would say the following: He's giving the Europeans some time so that everyone could save face,' Bishara said. At the same time, Russia and China have repeatedly warned against the US's involvement in the conflict and called for a ceasefire.
CNN
10 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘2 in 3 chance' Trump will strike Iranian nuclear facility, says Fmr. NATO Commander
Admiral James Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, joined the Situation Room to discuss the potential for US involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Al Arabiya
11 hours ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Trump to decide within two weeks on US role in Iran-Israel war
In this episode of W News Extra, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, we continue our coverage of the Iran-Israel war. The White House said Thursday that President Donald Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether the US will get directly involved in the conflict. Guests: Shane McGinley – Business Editor, Arabian Gulf Business Insight Tala Michel Issa – Chief Reporter, Arabian Business
CNN
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘2 in 3 chance' Trump will strike Iranian nuclear facility, says Fmr. NATO Commander
Admiral James Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, joined the Situation Room to discuss the potential for US involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
