Trump says he will decide on US involvement in Iran within 2 weeks
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would make a decision about US military involvement in Iran within two weeks.
'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 on whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' Trump said via White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Trump is facing defiance from many in his own party over his
comments on Wednesday , in which he said that he 'may' or 'may not' order US forces to participate in Israel's strikes against the Islamic republic.
04:26
Trump says US 'may' or 'may not' strike Iran as Tehran rejects call to surrender
Trump says US 'may' or 'may not' strike Iran as Tehran rejects call to surrender
Steve Bannon, one of the most influential voices from Trump's 'America First' coalition, has warned against any US military operations supporting Israel's bid to destroy Iran's nuclear programme absent a diplomatic deal.
'We can't have another Iraq,' Bannon said in a discussion hosted on Wednesday by The Christian Science Monitor, referring to the war started in 2003, which is estimated to have killed some 4,700 US and allied troops.
'The Israelis have to finish what they started. They started this. They should finish it,' Bannon said.
Mourners at a funeral in Ahvaz, Iran, on Thursday for those killed in Israeli strikes. Photo: ISNA/West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Other political figures, who have staunchly supported Trump over many years – including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, and far-right pundit Tucker Carlson – have also come out against US military intervention.
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