Trump postpones decision to get involved in Iran conflict

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is expected to make a decision about whether to take direct action against Iran in the next two weeks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Leavitt told reporters at a briefing here on Thursday (local time) that she had a message directly from Trump in response to speculation about whether he would get directly involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

“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 White House press secretary quoted Trump as saying.

beyond parody — Trump, through Karoline Leavitt, announces he’ll make his decision about whether to strike Iran “within the next two weeks” pic.twitter.com/aulVvyCe6P

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 19, 2025

Leavitt said communication between the US and Iran “has continued” as the two sides engage in negotiations. She, however, did not provide specifics about whether they were direct or through intermediaries. Iran must agree to no enrichment of uranium, and Tehran must not be able to achieve a nuclear weapon as part of any diplomatic agreement, Leavitt said.

Trump, on Wednesday, when asked about a potential US strike on Iran, remained noncommittal. “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump told reporters. “I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble. And they want to negotiate. And I say, ‘Why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction?'”, the US President said.

Trump demanded that Iran give up its entire nuclear programme and has warned Iran to quickly surrender to a deal or face even more dire repercussions.

On June 13, Israel launched an attack against Iran, carrying out strikes including against Iran’s state television station. Tehran carried out a retaliatory attack, firing ballistic range missiles at Israel, targeting military and security installations, and hitting the Haifa oil refinery among others. The two countries have since then exchanged strikes.

As per an analysis by Al Jazeera, Iran had long relied on its ally, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, to provide deterrence from direct Israeli attacks, but Hezbollah was significantly weakened after fighting an all-out war against Israel last year.

In addition, Iran lost another ally when Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December 2024. Iran could also make Americans feel the impact of the war economically. It has threatened to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which would affect global trade and increase oil prices. (ANI)