Trump sets two-week deadline for Iran strike decision

Shafaq News

5 hours ago

Shafaq News/ US President Donald Trump has given himself a two-week window to decide whether the United States will launch a military strike on Iran, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.
'Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,' Leavitt warned. 'All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader [Ali khamenei] to do that.'
Leavitt declined to comment on whether Trump supports regime change in Iran — a key issue dividing isolationist elements in the MAGA base and hawks like Senator Lindsey Graham.
🚨 @PressSec shares an important message from President Donald J. Trump: "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." pic.twitter.com/Xh3rNuURn0
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 19, 2025
According to a recent Politico report, Trump is consulting with the National Security Council as the Pentagon re-evaluates its options for targeting Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment facility — a site fortified deep within a mountain and long seen as a core challenge to any military solution.
Trump has not yet authorized military strikes on Iran's Fordow nuclear facility due to lingering doubts about the ability of the GBU-57 'bunker buster' bomb to destroy the deeply buried site.
The US president affirmed that any military action would only be justifiable if there was a guarantee that the 30,000-pound bomb could effectively neutralize the underground uranium enrichment facility, according to the Guardian.
The Fordow site is estimated to extend as deep as 300 feet (about 91m), has long been viewed by military planners as one of the most challenging targets in Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) assessed that the GBU-57 bomb could damage Fordow by collapsing tunnels, but would not fully destroy the facility without a broader strike; officials noted that only a tactical nuclear weapon could guarantee total elimination, though that option is not being considered by the Trump administration.