US President Donald Trump said in a statement that he wanted to give negotiations a chance. PHOTO: NYTIMES

Trump to decide on US action in Israel-Iran conflict within 2 weeks, White House says

WASHINGTON – The White House said on June 19 that President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks.

Citing a message from Mr Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “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.”

Ms Leavitt told a regular briefing that Mr Trump was interested in pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran, but his top priority was ensuring that Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon.

She said any deal would have to prohibit enrichment of uranium by Tehran and eliminate Iran’s ability to achieve a nuclear weapon.

“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,” Ms Leavitt said.

“But he’s not afraid to use strength as well, I will add.”

Ms Leavitt declined to say if Mr Trump would seek congressional authorisation for any strikes on Iran. She said Washington remained convinced that Iran had never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on June 19 and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight, as a week-old air war escalated and neither side showed any sign of an exit strategy.

Ms Leavitt said Mr Trump had been briefed on the Israeli operation on June 19 and Iran would face grave consequences if it did not agree to halt its work on a nuclear weapon.

Iran has been weighing wider options in responding to the biggest security challenge since its 1979 revolution.

Mr Trump has kept the world guessing on possible US involvement in the war, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting the US might join the fighting.

On June 18, he said nobody knew what he would do. A day earlier he mused on social media about killing Ayatollah Khamenei, then demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender.

Three diplomats told Reuters that Mr Trump’s special envoy, Mr Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes last week. REUTERS

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President Donald Trump is poised to make a critical decision on whether to strike Iran in the upcoming weeks, according to an announcement from the White House on Thursday. The administration points to a ‘substantial’ possibility of negotiations achieving US and Israeli objectives regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

This announcement, conveyed by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, effectively extends the timeline for the president’s stern warnings to Iran, seeking the immediate cessation of all nuclear enrichment activities and any endeavors to generate nuclear armaments.

‘Considering the significant probability of negotiations with Iran that may or may not occur soon, I will determine my course of action within the next two weeks,’ Leavitt quoted Trump as declaring.

Trump to decide on US involvement in Iran ‘in the next two weeks’ as White House unveils attack timeline

Trump to decide on US involvement in Iran ‘in the next two weeks’ as White House reveals attack timeline. Picture: Alamy

By Danielle de Wolfe

Donald Trump will make a decision on whether the US will enter the Israel-Iran conflict “in the next two weeks”, as the White House slowed its timeline for any potential involvement.

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Speaking from Washington on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt urged the public to “trust in President Trump”.

Reciting words from the President from the White House briefing room, Leavitt continued: “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 in the next two weeks.”

It comes amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel following ongoing retaliatory strikes.

The press conference saw the White House halt speculation surrounding potential US involvement in the conflict, with Leavitt repeating the ‘two week’ response to all questions on potential military involvement.

Reports emerging on Thursday had suggested Trump had enetered the “situation room” with leading advisors to assess US options on entering the conflict.

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The timeframe gives the US President time to forge a deal with the Iran – including a potential Uranium investment deal.

Early on Thursday, Israel’s defence minister said Iran’s supreme leader “cannot continue to exist” as the two nations continue to exchange missile fire.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Takes Questions During White House Briefing. Picture: Getty

It comes as US President Donald Trump continues to mull over joining Israel’s war with Iran, with the Republican reportedly approving a plan to strike nuclear sites in the country late on Wednesday.

Speaking today, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “cannot continue to exist”.

Israel Katz said: “A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of Israel his mission, cannot continue to exist.”

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Footage shows moment missile strikes Israeli hospital

He added for Israel to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist”.

In his statement, he confirmed had hit three nuclear sites in Bushehr, Isfahan and Natanz as attacks continue on other facilities.

It comes just days after it emerged Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Ayatollah, saying he will allow the Iranian leader to live “at least for now.”

Israel Katz’s comments follow an Iranian strike on an Israeli hospital early on Thursday morning.

A view of the destruction after an Iranian missile hits Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Picture: Tsafrir Abayov/Anadolu via Getty Images

A hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel, has been damaged by an Iranian missile. Picture: Getty

Soroka hospital in southern Israel was directly hit by an Iranian missile. Israel’s emergency services said more than 30 people have been injured.

The hospital is said to have suffered “extensive damage” in the strike.

State media in Tehran say the “main target” was an Israeli military facility in the same area.

Israeli emergency services check a destroyed building at the site of an Iranian missile attack in a residential area in Holon in central Israel. Picture: Getty

An Israeli military official said three other sites in civilian areas have also been struck in the barrage.

Dozens of missiles were fired in the attack, triggering sirens across much of the country, according to the Israeli military official.

Israel launched its war on Iran last Friday, attacking both nuclear sites and civilian areas.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “cannot continue to exist”. Picture: Social Media

At least 224 civilians have been killed in Israeli strikes, as of information released by Iran’s government on Sunday.

US president Donald Trump has insisted he’s ‘not looking to fight’ Iran, but warned that the US wants ‘total, complete victory’ over the country.

As the world fears Trump will join Israel’s war against Iran, the leader of the world’s most powerful military remained cryptic about his next move, saying he likes ‘to make decisions at the last second’.

The attack on Soroka hospital left 30 people injured. Picture: Getty

While repeating his claim that Iran ‘should have made a deal’ and that it is ‘too late to meet,’ Trump suggested the US could still hold diplomatic talks with Tehran.

He added: “They’ll even come to the White House. So we’ll see. I may do that. But it’s a shame it wasn’t. (It) could have been done the easy way.”

Emergency workers respond to the site of a reported Iranian missile strike on June 19, 2025 in Ramat Gan, Israel. Picture: Getty

Iran has denied reaching out to White House, as the supreme leader insists his country will never surrender in its war against Israel.

“I’m not looking to fight. But if it’s a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon…you have to do what you have to do,” Trump said.

“They want to meet and they want to come to the White House,” he told reporters at the Oval Office.

Israel, Beer Sheva Soroka University Medical centre. Picture: Alamy

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already warned that any United States strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will “result in irreparable damage for them” and that his country would not bow to Mr Trump’s call for surrender.

Mr Trump said earlier this week the US knows where Khamenei is hiding as the the Israel-Iran conflict escalates but does not want him killed – “for now”.

“He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Mr Trump said.

In a video address to Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Mr Trump’s support, calling him “a great friend of Israel” and praising US help defending Israel’s skies.

“We speak constantly, including last night,” Mr Netanyahu said on Wednesday. “We had a very warm conversation.”

Mr Trump’s increasingly muscular comments toward the Iranian government come after he urged Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut short his participation in an international summit earlier this week to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team.

Mr Trump said that the Iranian officials continue to reach out to the White House as they are “getting the hell beaten out of them” by Israel.

But he added there is a “big difference between now and a week ago” in Tehran’s negotiating position.

“They’ve suggested that they come to the White House – that’s, you know, courageous,” Mr Trump said.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations refuted Mr Trump’s claim in a statement on social media.

“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to ‘take out’ Iran’s Supreme Leader.”

Vladimir Putin offered on Wednesday to help mediate an end to the conflict, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement that could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic programme while assuaging Israeli security concerns.

The Russian president noted that “it’s a delicate issue” but added that “in my view, a solution could be found”.

He said he had shared Moscow’s proposals with Iran, Israel and the US. His comments follow a mediation offer he made in a call with Mr Trump last weekend.

Mr Trump said he told Mr Putin to keep focused on finding a solution to his own conflict with Ukraine.

“I said, ‘Do me a favour, mediate your own’,” Mr Trump said he told Mr Putin.

“I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later’.”

The Russia-Iran relationship has deepened since Mr Putin launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022, with Tehran providing Moscow with drones, ballistic missiles, and other support, according to US intelligence findings.

President Trump has informed senior aides that he will decide on whether to authorize strikes against Iran within the next two weeks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday. The announcement underscores the growing impatience in Washington with Tehran’s refusal to curb its nuclear aspirations, even as diplomatic efforts continue in Europe.

On Friday, foreign ministers from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom plan to meet with Iranian envoys in Geneva. Their objective is twofold: to persuade Iran to de-escalate regional tensions and to negotiate a rollback of its nuclear program. Western officials hope that sustained diplomatic engagement will offer Tehran a face-saving exit and avert military confrontation.

Meanwhile, the Israeli–Iranian exchange of fire entered its seventh day. An Iranian missile strike on an Israeli hospital caused significant damage but, according to local authorities, did not result in civilian casualties. In retaliation, the Israel Defense Forces reported targeting some 100 sites across Iran overnight, including the heavy-water reactor near Arak and a facility at Natanz linked to uranium enrichment for nuclear-weapons development.

Trump has signaled that he is withholding a final decision on military action to see whether mounting pressure—both diplomatic and military—will compel Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. “I may do it, I may not do it,” he told reporters Tuesday, adding that the coming week “is going to be very big, maybe less than a week” in determining Tehran’s next steps.

In recent days, the United States has bolstered its military posture in the region. A third Navy destroyer has joined the eastern Mediterranean fleet, and a second carrier strike group is en route to the Arabian Sea. Pentagon officials describe the deployments as defensive, but analysts note they also serve as a strategic lever to urge Tehran toward concessions.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed that his country will “never surrender,” warning that any U.S. attack would yield “irreparable consequences” for American interests in the Middle East.

Key Developments

Israeli Response: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Iran’s hospital strike as the act of “terrorist tyrants” and vowed to continue dismantling Tehran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure “step by step.”

IAEA Statement: The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog confirmed there was no radioactive leak at the Khondab heavy-water reactor following the Israeli raid.

U.S. Evacuations: The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv is coordinating evacuation flights for American citizens, Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced.

Casualty Figures: According to the WSJ, Human-rights monitors report at least 639 fatalities in Iran and 24 deaths in Israel stemming from the recent exchanges of fire.

President Trump will make a decision on potential strikes on Iran “within two weeks,” the White House press secretary quoted a statement from his as saying.

European foreign ministers are slated to meet with Iranian officials in Geneva on Friday to press them to de-escalate and to offer a rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities.

Meanwhile, Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire as the conflict entered a seventh day. An Israeli hospital was hit by an Iranian missile, while Israel said it struck 100 targets in Iran, including the heavy-water reactor in Arak and a site in Natanz that it said was being used for nuclear-weapons development.

Trump told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program, people familiar with the deliberations said.

Asked if he had decided whether to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump said, “I may do it, I may not do it.” And he repeated his insistence on Iran’s unconditional surrender: “The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week.”

The U.S. has built up military forces in the region in recent days. A third U.S. Navy destroyer entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a second U.S. carrier strike group is heading toward the Arabian Sea. While the Pentagon said the buildup is defensive, it better positions the U.S. should Trump decide to join Israeli attacks on Iran. It could also be a tactic to pressure Iran to capitulate or make concessions.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country wouldn’t surrender and warned any U.S. military intervention would bring irreparable consequences.

What else to know: