'Nobody knows': Trump won't say whether he will move forward with US strikes on Iran
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump would not say Wednesday whether he has decided to order a U.S. strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens.
'I may do it, I may not do it," Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House . 'I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.'
Trump added that it's not 'too late' for Iran to give up its nuclear program as he continues to weigh direct U.S. involvement in Israel's military operations aimed at crushing Tehran's nuclear program.
'Nothing's too late,' Trump said. 'I can tell you this. Iran's got a lot of trouble."
'Nothing is finished until it is finished,' Trump added. But 'the next week is going to be very big— maybe less than a week."
Trump also offered a terse response to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's refusal to heed to his call for Iran to submit to an unconditional surrender.
'I say good luck,' Trump said.
Khamenei earlier Wednesday 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 Trump's call for surrender.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday that the Pentagon was providing possible options to Trump as he decides next steps on Iran.
Trump said Tuesday the U.S. knows where Khamenei is hiding but doesn't 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," Trump said.
Trump's increasingly muscular comments toward the Iranian government follow him urging 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.
Trump said that the Iranian officials continue to reach out to the White House as they're 'getting the hell beaten out of them' by Israel. But he added there's 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,' Trump said.
Iran's mission to the United Nations refuted 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. '
The U.S. president said earlier this week Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to serve as a mediator with Iran. But Trump said he told Putin to keep focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine.
'I said, 'Do me a favor, mediate your own,'' Trump said he told Putin. 'I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.''
The comments were a shift from Trump who earlier this week said he was 'open' to Putin's offer to mediate.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said earlier Wednesday that Moscow has cautioned Washington against offering direct military assistance to Israel.
'We are warning Washington against even speculative, hypothetical considerations of the sort,' Ryabkov said, according to the Interfax news agency. 'That would be a step drastically destabilizing the situation as a whole.'
The Russia-Iran relationship has deepened since Putin launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022, with Tehran providing Moscow with drones, ballistic missiles, and other support, according to U.S. intelligence findings.
Trump is also facing deep skepticism about deepening U.S. involvement in the Mideast crisis from some of his most ardent supporters. Trump during his 2024 run for the White House promised voters he would quickly end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and keep the U.S. out of costly conflicts.
Steve Bannon, who served as a senior adviser to Trump during his first administration, on Wednesday said the administration should tread carefully.
'This is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, ok?" Bannon told reporters at an event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. "With 92 million people. This is not something you play around with. You have to think this through. And the American people have to be on board. You can't just dump it on them.'
Bannon and other Trump allies, including Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk and conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, have raised concerns that direct U.S. involvement in the conflict could be seen as a betrayal to some members of Trump's coalition and potentially cause a schism in MAGA world.
Trump pushed back at the notion that deepening U.S. involvement could impact his standing with bis base.
'My supporters are more in love with me today, and I'm in love with them more than they were even at election time when we had a total landslide,' Trump said.
—
Associated Press writers Tara Copp, David Klepper and Chris Megerian contributed reporting.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
19 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump's parade didn't make him feel tough. Maybe a war with Iran will?
Trump's parade didn't make him feel tough. Maybe a war with Iran will? | Opinion Trump is proving, as if we needed proof, that insecure men are dangerous. They act impulsively, with no focus beyond soothing their own tender feelings. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump teases possible strike on Iran but says it's not too late for deal "I may do it. I may not do it." President Trump teased a possible strike on Iran but also said it is not too late to negotiate. Having an insecure president during a time of crisis is a problem, largely because he's going to say things like this when asked about possibly bombing Iran: 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' That was President Donald Trump's wildly problematic comment on June 18. First, President Dodo-head seems to think the decision to draw America into a potentially cataclysmic conflict in the Middle East is his alone ‒ you'll note the use of the first person four times in two sentences. Apparently, Congress and the American public have no voice in such a decision. It all rests in the little hands of the Supreme Leader. Trump says, 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do.' No kidding. Second, the man who oversees the world's largest military probably shouldn't be saying, 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do.' That sounds like something an unhinged dictator would say and … well, never mind, I guess that tracks. Trump was speaking outside the White House, where he was having two enormous flagpoles installed. It was effectively an advertisement for male overcompensation, which makes sense in the wake of Trump's poorly attended and morose military parade, the one he thought would cast him in the all-powerful-ruler light he desires. Opinion: From massive protests to a puny parade, America really let Donald Trump down The weekend and weakened parade was overshadowed by millions of Americans across the country protesting Trump and his king-like behavior. Trump sent the Marines to be bored in LA Before that, the president's previous show of manly-man toughness ‒ sending the U.S. Marines into Los Angeles to address anti-ICE protesters ‒ also failed. Now, soldiers are just standing around in a city that's doing fine. Will the quest to quench this man's insecurity ever end? Trump stumbled disconsolately from his puny parade to the summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations in Canada on June 16, then left early the next day to return to Washington, DC, ostensibly to deal with the worsening crisis between Israel and Iran. After getting home, Trump's 'dealing with the crisis' seemed to largely involve posting unhinged comments on social media, bizarrely advising residents of Tehran to evacuate and, despite claiming the United States isn't involved in Israel's ongoing attacks on Iran, boldly proclaiming: 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.' Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Trump raises flagpoles while threatening war So are we in or are we out? It's a reasonable question for any American to ask, and it's one Trump clearly won't answer, as evidenced by his 'nobody knows what I'm going to do' comment during the apparently critical installation of new White House phallic symbols. 'These are the most magnificent poles made,' Trump posted on social media on June 17, the night before the flagpoles went up. 'They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality.' Great job, Mr. President. Americans are laser-focused on White House pole quality and are not at all concerned about you starting a war nobody wants ‒ a new Economist/YouGov poll finds "only 16% of Americans think the U.S. military should get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran" ‒ without congressional approval. Trump's sad-boy feelings will always override what's best for America Trump is proving, as if we needed proof, that insecure men are dangerous. They act impulsively, with no focus beyond soothing their own tender feelings. Dispatching troops against American citizens didn't make Trump feel big. A military parade didn't make him feel big. He didn't feel big around other world leaders at the G7 summit, so he left and did some online hollering and saber-rattling. And now? We wait to see if our capricious president needs to drop a bunker-busting bomb on Iran to feel big. We wait to see if Trump single-handedly marches America into war, leaving us to suffer the blowback of his inextinguishable self-doubt. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Play Short-Term Market Volatility With These ETFs
The Trump administration's chaotic tariff policies and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are making investors anxious, pushing them toward safe-haven assets. The S&P 500 has faced increased volatility in 2025, with the broad market index falling 2.7% and then rebounding 4.1% over the past month. The index fell about 1.1% on June 13, driven by intensifying protests and mounting Iran-Israel tensions. According to SP Global, U.S. investors remained risk-averse for the fifth consecutive month, even as equity market concerns have been easing. Per an investor sentiment survey, according to the S&P Global Investment Manager Index, the risk appetite of investors has been gradually increasing since April. Yet, June's reading has remained negative, highlighting continued caution. Even with easing in risk aversion, according to SP Global, investors continue to forecast net market losses in the month ahead. The survey's Equity Returns Index fell to -32% in June from -29% in May, reflecting a modest decline in investor confidence and a slightly more pessimistic outlook compared to the previous month. According to Kathryn Rooney Vera, chief market strategist at StoneX Group, as quoted on Reuters, with the market being highly sensitive to headlines and short-term events, short-term market swings have intensified. Struggling with escalating tensions in the Middle East after renewed military strikes between Israel and Iran, concerns over potential supply disruptions are a headwind. According to Rooney Vera, a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz could restrict global oil supply chains, driving up prices and accelerating inflationary pressures. Planned protests across major U.S. cities are drawing investor attention. According to Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder, as quoted on Reuters, the ongoing protests could dampen investor confidence, from a psychological perspective. Any blow to investor sentiment or risk appetite could further weigh on the S&P 500, adding to the headwinds it already faces in the near term. In periods of rising uncertainty, increasing exposure to volatility ETFs in the short term can be a winning move for investors. These funds have delivered short-term gains during periods of market chaos and could climb further if volatility endures. In the current economic environment, volatility-focused funds and strategies are ideal to reassess volatility exposure and for investors with a short-term horizon. With volatility rising due to trade tensions, policy uncertainty, geopolitical conflict and technical market breakdowns, increasing exposure to the below-mentioned funds can be a good strategic move (See: all Volatility ETFs here). iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index Total Return and has amassed an asset base of $375.1 million. The index offers exposure to a daily rolling long position in the first and second month VIX futures contracts. VXX charges an annual fee of 0.89% and has a one-month average trading volume of about 4.39 million shares. iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN has gained 17.87% over the past three months and 16.56% over the past year. ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index and has amassed an asset base of $179.5 million. The index measures the movements of a combination of VIX futures and is designed to track changes in the expectation for one month in the future. The fund is ideal for investors looking to gain from an increase in expected volatility of the S&P 500. VIXY has a one-month average trading volume of about 1.1 million shares. ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF has gained 17.48% over the past three months and 14.66% over the past year. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.85%. ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures Index and has amassed an asset base of $21.4 million. The index measures the movements of a combination of VIX futures and is designed to track changes in the expectation for VIX five months in the future. The fund is ideal for investors looking to gain from an increase in expected volatility of the S&P 500. VIXM has a one-month average trading volume of about 98,000 shares. ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF has gained 12.64% over the past three months and 22.03% over the past year. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.85%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX): ETF Research Reports ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (VIXY): ETF Research Reports ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF (VIXM): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Axios
24 minutes ago
- Axios
House passes reconciliation bill
The House passed its budget reconciliation bill early Thursday morning after Republicans made a last-minute slate of changes to win the votes of conservative hardliners. Why it matters: The 215-214 vote advances a GOP policy agenda that includes Medicaid work requirements, a phaseout of IRA energy tax credits and a reauthorization of the FCC's spectrum auction authority. It came after President Trump pressured the holdouts to move the bill forward, giving House Speaker Mike Johnson just enough room to push it through with his razor-thin GOP majority. What's inside: The revised bill would start Medicaid work requirements faster than originally planned — moving up the start date to the end of 2026 — but doesn't contain the cuts to federal share of costs for the Medicaid expansion, or FMAP, that conservatives were seeking. It also includes a major change to the Affordable Care Act marketplaces that would have the effect of reducing the federal subsidies that defray premium costs. On energy, the amended bill would move up the end of the investment and production tax credits to phase them out for projects that come onto the grid after 2028. What they're saying: "A yes vote gets America's economy moving again, allows President Trump to continue fighting for the hard-working families," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said before the vote.
