President Donald Trump will decide whether to take military action in Iran within the next couple of weeks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on June 19.
“I have a message directly from the president, and I quote: ‘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,’” Leavitt said at a White House press briefing.
Trump has been holding meetings in the Situation Room on what to do about Iran.
The president has said he may or may not get involved in the conflict.
Trump’s goal when it comes to Iran is not regime change, but rather ensuring that the Islamic Republic cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, Leavitt said. He has repeatedly said that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb.
“Let’s be very clear: Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. 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 said.
“And that is something that the entire world, including countries like Russia, is in agreement with, that Iran should not and cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, and that’s why the president believes that, and he has believed that, again, not just his political career, but frankly, his entire life.”
While the president supports Israel’s military action in Iran, he has been pushing for a diplomatic solution.
A deal proposed to the Iranians by special envoy Steve Witkoff that they rejected “was both realistic and acceptable within its terms,” Leavitt said.
Israel has launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile, and other infrastructure. Iran has retaliated by hitting civilian population centers in Israel, such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. On June 19, Iran struck a hospital in Be’er Sheva, in southern Israel, wounding dozens.
Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” which the regime has rejected. Nonetheless, he has said that the United States is not looking to kill Iranian leader Ali Khamenei for now.
Israel is looking to destroy the Iranian nuclear site at Fordow, which is deep underground and therefore requires bunker-busting bombs. Only the United States has these munitions and the planes capable of deploying them.
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