United States President Donald Trump will take a decision on whether to launch a military strike against Iran within a fortnight, the White House confirmed on Thursday, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
White House Press Secretary c, while addressing reporters, quoted the US President as saying, "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."
According to the White House, President Trump has set a self-imposed two-week deadline to decide on military action against Iran, after having publicly weighed in on Israel’s ongoing offensive and calling Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an “easy target”.
The announcement follows reports suggesting that President Trump has shown support for plans to strike Iran, though he has not issued any final order. American media outlets earlier noted that Trump is awaiting signs of whether Iran halts its nuclear programme before taking definitive action.
Leavitt pointed out that the administration remains open to diplomacy, but emphasised nuclear non-proliferation as the overriding objective. “The president is always interested in a diplomatic solution...he is a peacemaker in chief. He is the peace through strength president. And so if there's a chance for diplomacy, the president's always going to grab it,” she said.
She revealed that Washington and Tehran have maintained “correspondence” since Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets last week. However, she clarified that there are no plans for Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to attend today’s diplomatic talks in Geneva, where European diplomats are set to meet Iran’s foreign minister.
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“But he's not afraid to use strength as well I will add,” she noted.
Leavitt further stated that any diplomatic settlement must include a ban on uranium enrichment by Tehran and dismantle its nuclear development infrastructure.
Asked earlier whether he had decided to attack Iran, President Trump replied, "I may do it, I may not do it. The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week."
The developments come as Israel struck nuclear-linked sites in Iran on Thursday, provoking retaliatory drone and missile attacks. One Iranian projectile struck the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, southern Israel, causing damage to the hospital.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed reprisal, warning, "Tehran's tyrants will pay the full price."
Earlier this week, President Trump claimed that Iran had sought to send officials to the White House to negotiate a deal aimed at ending the conflict and restarting dialogue on its nuclear programme. Tehran, however, has denied making any such request.
Despite earlier efforts by Trump to negotiate a fresh agreement with Iran to replace the 2015 nuclear accord—withdrawn by his administration in 2018—he has since signalled strong support for Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure.
The Fordo nuclear enrichment facility, one of Iran’s most fortified installations, has become a focal point in the strategic debate. The United States is the only country currently possessing the massive “bunker buster” munitions capable of destroying such underground sites.
Meanwhile, divisions have surfaced within Trump’s own political base. Leading voices from the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement, including conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and former White House strategist Steve Bannon, have expressed strong opposition to potential US military engagement in Iran.
Trump’s repeated pledges to extricate America from “forever wars” in the Middle East were key to his election victories in both 2016 and 2024, and the issue remains politically sensitive.
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