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United States President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide within the next two weeks whether to launch a military strike against Iran, citing a “substantial” chance of negotiations, as Israel and Iran continued exchanging fire for a seventh straight day.
“There’s been a lot of speculation about whether the United States would be directly involved,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, reading a statement from Trump at a press briefing.
“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," Trump said in the statement.
Leavitt declined to elaborate on what prompted Trump to believe talks with Iran were possible.
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On Wednesday, Trump claimed Iran had expressed interest in sending officials to the White House to negotiate over its nuclear program and help end the conflict with Israel. Tehran, however, denied making such a request.
Leavitt confirmed that “correspondence has continued” between Washington and Tehran when asked about reports of communications between Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. But she said she was “not tracking” whether Witkoff would travel to Geneva for further talks.
Trump convened his third consecutive meeting in the White House Situation Room on Thursday to review options, as pressure mounts over whether the U.S. will join Israel’s military campaign.
“I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said Wednesday when asked about potential military action.
Tensions have sharply escalated since June 13, when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes across Iran, targeting military and nuclear facilities. Iran responded with retaliatory missile barrages.
Israeli authorities say at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Iranian strikes. Iranian officials report at least 639 killed and more than 1,300 wounded in Israel’s assault.
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