President Trump may make a decision regarding direct action against Iran within the next couple of weeks, as stated by a spokesperson on Thursday.
White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt briefed reporters on a message from Trump, addressing speculation about his potential involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
Leavitt quoted Trump, saying, “Considering the significant possibility for negotiations, possibly with Iran soon, I will determine my course of action in the next two weeks.”
She mentioned that dialogue between the U.S. and Iran is ongoing, but did not clarify whether these communications are direct or involve middlemen.
As part of any diplomatic agreement, Leavitt emphasized that Iran needs to consent to uranium enrichment and must not be able to acquire nuclear weapons.
On Wednesday morning, Trump was non-committal regarding a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. He sidestepped questions about ordering military action.
He remarked, “I might proceed with that, or I might not. Nobody truly knows my intentions.” He added that Iran is facing numerous challenges and expressed their desire to negotiate, stating, “Why didn’t you negotiate with me before all of this death and destruction?”
The president has been meeting daily with his national security team and the situation room since Tuesday.
Throughout his political journey, Trump has often used a “two weeks” timeframe to assess policy decisions, similar to when Russian President Vladimir Putin noted he would require about two weeks to determine interest in negotiating an end to the Ukraine war.
When asked if he would adhere to this two-week timeline with Iran, Leavitt didn’t provide a direct answer, but described the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine as “two very different and complicated global conflicts.”
Updated at 1:54pm
