President Trump said in a statement released by the White House on Thursday that he will make a decision on whether or not to directly enter the Israel-Iran war by launching airstrikes within two weeks.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read the statement at a press briefing. “Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place in the near future, I will make my decision of whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” she said.
When asked what Trump’s demands were for a diplomatic solution with Iran, Leavitt said Tehran must give up its nuclear enrichment program, a condition Tehran has made clear is a non-starter. Iranian officials have also said they’re not willing to negotiate while Israel is attacking Iran.
Reuters reported on Thursday that US envoy Steve Witkoff has spoken by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi several times since Israel launched the war last week. Diplomats said that Aragchi’s message was that Iran could return to nuclear negotiations and “show flexibility” but only if Israel’s attacks come to an end.
The statement from Trump regarding the timeline on his decision came after The Wall Street Journal reported that the president has approved plans to attack Iran but is waiting to give the final order. Trump said on Thursday that the paper “has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!”
Bloomberg also reported on Wednesday that US officials are preparing to launch strikes on Iran in the coming days, making this weekend a potential time for the attacks to begin. Iran has vowed it will hit back hard, and Iranian missile attacks on US bases in the region could cause significant American casualties.
Israel is expecting the US to join the war and wants the US to drop its heavy bunker buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, which is buried deep underground. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have made it increasingly clear that their real goal may be regime change.
Netanyahu launched the war under the pretext of stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapon, but the consensus of US intelligence before the attack was that Tehran wasn’t working toward a bomb. Iran made it clear in negotiations with the US that it was willing to re-commit to never develop nuclear weapons, reduce uranium enrichment to low levels, increase oversight, and get rid of its stockpile of uranium enriched at the 60% level.
