Trump delays war decision with Iran, leaves diplomatic door open
ALBAWABA- In a notable shift, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will decide within two weeks whether to launch a military intervention against Iran, citing a "strong likelihood" of negotiations soon.
Trump emphasized that any decision will weigh three conditions: necessity, avoiding a prolonged Middle East war, and ensuring the strike would eliminate Iran's nuclear program.
'A lot of space has been made for diplomacy,' said a White House spokeswoman, offering a glimmer of hope for de-escalation as European and Iranian officials prepare to meet tomorrow.
🚨 @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
Trump's latest announcement of a two-week window to decide on war with Iran starkly contradicts his fiery remarks just two days earlier, when he demanded Iran's unconditional surrender within 24 hours and threatened to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei personally.
Despite the diplomatic tone, tensions remain sky-high. The White House confirmed that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon within weeks if it chooses to. The spokeswoman also praised Israel's military strikes for degrading Iran's infrastructure and leadership.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to the impact of war on his own family, revealing that his son Avner had to cancel his wedding for the second time due to missile threats, and called his wife 'a heroine' for standing by him through years of turmoil.
The conflict is widening beyond the battlefield. Iran has declared that Israeli media outlets are now legitimate military targets, warning that Channel 14, described as Netanyahu's 'propaganda arm,' will face missile strikes in the coming days.
Israel's Broadcasting Authority confirmed that a forceful response is being prepared following Iran's unprecedented missile attack on the Soroka military hospital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
'Very bad decision': US envoy warns Hezbollah of involvement in Iran-'Israel' war
The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack warned Lebanese group Hezbollah on Thursday against getting involved in the war between its main backer Iran and 'Israel'. Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, is on his first visit to Beirut, where he met top Lebanese officials including parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah. "I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump... that would be a very, very, very bad decision," Barrack said after his meeting with Berri, responding to a question on what the US position would be on any involvement by Hezbollah in the war. In a statement, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the group will "act as we see fit". "Tyrannical America and criminal Israel will not be able to subjugate the Iranian people and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," Qassem said. Hezbollah, he added, still had "the responsibility to stand by Iran and provide it with all forms of support that contribute to putting an end to this tyranny and oppression". Hezbollah suffered devastating losses in its war against 'Israel' last year, which ended with a ceasefire agreement in November. When 'Israel' struck Iran last week, the Lebanese foreign ministry said that it was "continuing its contacts" to spare the country from being dragged into any conflict. In a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency after his meeting with Barrack, President Joseph Aoun said that "communications are ongoing to achieve the goal of weapons monopoly at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels, and will intensify after stability returns... to the region". According to the November ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah must pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the 'Israeli' border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the area. 'Israel' is required to fully withdraw its troops but has kept them in five locations in Lebanon it deems "strategic". Lebanon has also recently ramped up efforts to disarm Palestinian armed groups, which for decades had been in charge of Palestinian refugee camps in the country. After his meeting with Barrack, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed Lebanon's "commitment to the choice of security and stability and rejection of being dragged into the ongoing war in the region". He also asked the US envoy "to assist Lebanon in pressuring Israel for its complete withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories". Despite the ongoing ceasefire, 'Israel' has carried out repeated strikes in Lebanon, which it has said will continue until Hezbollah has been disarmed.
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
US military aircraft no longer visible at Al Udeid base in Qatar: satellite images
US military aircraft have been pulled from the tarmac of the biggest US base in the Middle East – Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar – according to satellite images published by Planet Labs PBC. This includes transport planes such as the Hercules C-130 and reconnaissance aircraft, in what possibly seems to be a move to shield them from possible Iranian strikes in the case the US strikes the Islamic Republic. The images showed several aircraft parked on the tarmac on June 5; which can no longer be seen as of June 19. Al Udeid base in Qatar would be vulnerable to Iranian strikes in the case of escalation, given its close proximity to Iran.
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
British FM, in US, says 'window now exists' for diplomacy with Iran
On the eve of European talks with Iran over its nuclear program, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Thursday after meeting high-level US officials that there is still time to reach a diplomatic solution with Tehran. Lammy met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, before talks on Friday in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alongside his French, German and EU counterparts. The diplomatic flurry came as European countries called for de-escalation in the face of 'Israel's' bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear program, and as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether or not to join the strikes against Tehran. "The situation in the Middle East remains perilous," Lammy said in a statement released by the UK embassy in Washington. "We discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution," Lammy said. "Tomorrow, I will be heading to Geneva to meet with the Iranian foreign minister alongside my French, German and EU counterparts," the British minister said. "Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one." The State Department said Lammy and Rubio had "agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." European push for diplomacy Araghchi earlier confirmed he would "meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday," in a statement carried by Iranian state news agency IRNA. The talks are set to include Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Trump has said he is weighing military action against Iran's nuclear facilities as 'Israel' pummels the country and Tehran responds with missile fire. France, Germany, Britain and the European Union were all signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which Trump sunk during his first term in office. The EU's Kallas, in coordination with European countries, has insisted that diplomacy remains the best path towards ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations were planning to suggest a negotiated solution to end the Iran-'Israel' conflict. He asked his foreign minister to draw up an initiative with "close partners" to that end. Barrot has been in regular touch with his German and British counterparts since 'Israel' launched massive air strikes against Iran on Friday. "We are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Barrot said. 'Israel' says its air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far above the 3.67 percent limit set by a 2015 deal with international powers, but still short of the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran denies it is building nuclear weapons.
