Latest news with #militaryaction
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Day 8 of strikes: European, Iranian diplomats to meet as US mulls joining Israel campaign
Summary Day 8 of conflict, Iran and Israel continue to exchange strikes. Donald Trump has approved military plans targeting Iran but has yet to make a final decision on launching a strike The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues to closely monitor and assess the situation regarding the Israeli attacks on nuclear sites in Iran. Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the US of "irreparable harm" if it gets directly involved in the conflict Israeli Defence Minister said Khamenei 'can no longer be allowed to exist' following a strike on an Israeli hospital
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
MAGA tears itself apart over Iran as Steve Bannon unloads on Bibi for dragging America into war: 'Who the hell are you?'
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon pivoted his criticism away from President Donald Trump and aimed it toward Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu as the president weighs further military action against Iran. Bannon lambasted the Israeli government for pushing Trump to get involved in the goal of 'regime change' in Iran and trying to manipulate the American people into support of further military strikes in Iran. 'Who in the hell are you to lecture the American people? Who are you to lecture the American people?' Bannon said angrily on his War Room podcast. He demanded that Netanyahu do more to 'finish the job' to destroy Iran's nuclear capacities. 'The American people are not going to tolerate it. Not going to put up with it. Who are you to jam us into this situation which you knew you couldn't finish the job, or if you can, go finish it!' he announced. In recent days, Netanyahu has pressed Trump and his MAGA allies for more support, speaking to the media about the importance of getting the United States further involved with the war against the 'evil' in Iran. 'Today, it's Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it's New York. Look, I understand "America First" I don't understand "America Dead,"' he said on ABC News on Sunday. Bannon said that it was the Israeli's responsibly to conclude the war, and expressed frustration that they had no problem starting the conflict. 'Go finish it! Quit coming to us to finish it. President Trump may come to that conclusion, but it's not something he would just say… 'Oh yeah, let's go bomb 'em and take care of it,"' he said. 'He's going to do it because he's got to weigh the options now that you've gotten us into it. That's reality. That's the truth. That's exactly where we are and people should be truthful with each other, particularly in these tough decisions,' he said. 'That's what allies do. Allies don't manipulate and don't inextricably draw people into situations of which the other party has to get them out of,' he continued. On his show, Bannon questioned the timing of the military strikes on Iran, asking the Israelis why it had to be now. He demanded Netanyahu show their intelligence that proved the Iranians were on the cusp of obtaining a nuclear weapon. 'Why did you start something that you couldn't finish?' he asked. Bannon told his viewers that Trump was facing enormous pressure to get involved in the war. 'The pressure on President Trump is coming from the outside and it's coming from people who are not straight with him,' he said. He conceded that Trump could conclude that military action was necessary but that it was important to detail the reasons why they had to do it. 'We have enough faith in President Trump and his judgement that he will come to the right conclusion, but we have to get all the cards on the table,' he concluded.
Al Jazeera
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump to decide whether US will strike Iran ‘within next 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. Amid the talk of diplomacy, 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. At the same time, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to eliminate Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'Such a person is forbidden to exist,' he said in a statement cited by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. 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 meet 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 those 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. Al Jazeera's Doha Jabbari, reporting from Doha, said the lack of trust between Tehran and Washington will make it difficult for the Iranians to fully believe Trump is open to diplomacy. 'Assuming that the Israelis have the green light from the Americans to carry out these attacks inside Iran, there is going to be very little trust there,' Jabbari said. 'But really, this is the diplomatic game they have to play,' she added, referring to the upcoming talks in Geneva. 'If they [Iran] don't go, they're going to be accused of basically saying we're not going to talk, we just want war. They're going to have to travel, and the Europeans are acting as a mediator between Iran and the US.' At the same time, Russia and China have repeatedly warned against the US's involvement in the conflict and called for a ceasefire.
NHK
5 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
Trump to decide whether to take military action on Iran within 2 weeks
The White House has quoted US President Donald Trump as saying he will decide within two weeks whether to take military action on Iran, while leaving the door open to negotiations. Trump has hinted at the possibility of US military intervention in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, saying, "I may do it, I may not do it." At a news conference on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the considerable speculation about the issue. She read out a message from Trump. It 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." In response to a reporter's question, Leavitt confirmed that correspondence between the Trump administration and the Iranian government is ongoing. She added, "If there's a chance for diplomacy, the president is always going to grab it, but he's not afraid to use strength as well." She declined to give details, including how the two sides are communicating. The White House says Trump plans to hold daily National Security Council meetings through the weekend as he weighs future responses to the Iranian situation.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump gives Iran two-week deadline to surrender and reveals exactly how close Ayatollah is to a nuclear bomb
President Donald Trump will decide whether or not to strike Iran in the next two weeks, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. She said the president was still holding out on a diplomatic solution, though wouldn't provide details about what U.S.-Iran talks would look like. Leavitt read a direct statement to reporters from Trump at the top of her briefing. '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 Trump statement read. Leavitt also said she welcomed a question when a journalist asked if Iran was a few weeks away from 'obtaining enough enriched uranium to start building a weapon' or 'completing production of a weapon.' 'Let's be very clear, Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,' Leavitt answered. '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,' Leavitt continued. The world has been awaiting Trump's decision on whether he'll join Israel's current war with Iran, which has now stretched a week. In particular, Israel has wanted U.S. assistance with bombing Iran's Fordow nuclear site. But the idea of military action against Iran has gotten Trump in trouble some some factions of the MAGA right, after he promised as a candidate to get the United States out of 'forever wars' and pledged 'World War III' wouldn't occur under his watch. 'Trust in President Trump,' she said, when asked near the top of the briefing what the president's message is to everyday Trump supporters, who might be skeptical of any military action. She said the U.S. was now looking for a deal with Iran that would include 'no enrichment of uranium' and reiterated that Iran wouldn't be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. 'With respect to Iran, nobody should be surprised by the president's position that Iran absolutely cannot obtain a nuclear weapon,' Leavitt also said. Leavitt also said the previous deal on the table through Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was 'both realistic and acceptable.' She wouldn't give much more detail on when diplomatic talks might happen. 'Out of respect for the ongoing discussions and negotiations, I am not going to get into the details of them. We've provided you confirmation,' Leavitt said. Witkoff was spotted by CNN alongside other Trump advisers at the White House on Thursday, with Leavitt suggesting he wouldn't be heading to Geneva, where the Europeans are scheduled to have talks with an Iranian delegation on Friday. Oman had previously hosted U.S.-Iran talks and three Iranian planes had been spotted landing in the capital of Muscat on Wednesday. 'As for correspondence between the United States and the Iranians, I can confirm that correspondence has continued. As you know, we were engaged with six rounds of negotiations with them in both indirect and direct ways,' Leavitt answered. Trump had also pitched the Iranians coming to see him at the White House. One reporter pointed out that if an Iranian delegation could get as far as Geneva, could they be coming to Washington as well? 'I am not going to get into hypotheticals,' Leavitt answered. 'But as you heard from the president yesterday, they have expressed interest in doing that.'
