'Nobody knows': Trump won't say if he will move forward with strikes on Iran
US President Donald Trump would not say whether he has decided to order a US 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 US 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".
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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.
This photo released on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, shows Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Source: Associated Press)
"I say good luck," Trump said.
Khamenei earlier 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, Defence 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 US 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.
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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.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds including what will happen to food after supermarket blaze, Trump's dithering over the Middle East, and winter car care tips. (Source: 1News)
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 US 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 favour, mediate your own'," Trump said he told Putin. "I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later'."
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(Contributor/Getty Images)
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 US intelligence findings.
Trump is also facing deep skepticism about deepening US 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 US 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.
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"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 US 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.
To be certain, some Trump backers are supportive of the president taking military action against Iran and downplay the risk of the US getting mired in a conflict.
"In terms of US involvement in military action, there is zero possibility of American boots on the ground in Iran," Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.
Trump pushed back at the notion that deepening US 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.
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To constitute effective warnings under international humanitarian law, parties must provide civilians with clear and practical instructions on moving away from military objectives that will be targeted rather than unlawfully calling for the mass exodus of millions - an approach that appears designed more to incite panic and terror among civilians than to ensure their protection. Internet shutdowns and media censorship In Iran, the authorities have disrupted access to the Internet and instant messaging applications, preventing millions of people caught up in the conflict from accessing essential information and communicating with loved ones both inside and outside the country and thereby exacerbating their suffering. "Access to the Internet is essential to protect human rights, especially in times of armed conflict where communications blackouts would prevent people from finding safe routes, accessing life-saving resources, and staying informed. The Iranian authorities must immediately ensure full restoration of internet and communication services in all of Iran," said Agnès Callamard. The Israeli authorities are also using vague security pretexts to target people over social media posts or sharing videos deemed to breach strict censorship rules. "Israeli authorities must refrain from using military escalations, as they have done in the past, as a further pretext to crack down on freedom of expression, disproportionately targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel, including through arbitrary detention over unsubstantiated allegations of incitement," said Agnès Callamard. Background On 13 June 2025, Israeli authorities launched air and drone strikes against Iranian territory. Shortly afterwards, Israeli officials announced that they launched the operation to target Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and decapitate Iran's military leadership. The Israeli strikes began as Iran and the US were in the process of negotiating a new deal to limit Iran's nuclear program and enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Iranian authorities have retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones against Israeli territory. Israeli attacks have struck cities in multiple provinces across Iran, including the provinces of Alborz, East Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Fars, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Lorestan, Ilam, Markazi, Qom, Tehran, West Azerbaijan and Khorasan Razavi. Iranian attacks have struck several urban areas in Israel, such as Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Tamra, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, Haifa, Herzliya.
