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President Donald Trump is giving himself two weeks to decide whether the United States will launch a military strike against Iran, as fears escalate over Tehran’s advancing nuclear capabilities and growing conflict with Israel.
The deadline was announced Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who read a statement from the president to reporters, emphasizing that while Trump still hopes for a diplomatic resolution, he is prepared to act militarily if necessary.
“Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations… I will make my decision of whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in the statement.
The potential for U.S. military intervention comes amid a week of rising violence in the Middle East, with rockets exchanged between Israel and Iran, and renewed urgency over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Trump left the G7 summit early and has since held repeated Situation Room meetings with military and intelligence officials.
“Weeks Away” from a Nuclear Weapon
Leavitt, echoing a recent POLITICO report, said Trump and the National Security Council are assessing the risks and timeline of a possible Iranian nuclear breakout.
“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt warned. “All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon.”
She called the potential development an “existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world.”
Internal GOP Divisions Resurface
The possible strike has exposed a rift inside Trump’s coalition. MAGA-aligned isolationists are wary of another foreign war, while neoconservative hawks like Sen. Lindsey Graham support aggressive intervention — and even regime change in Iran.
Leavitt refused to say whether Trump supports regime change, a flashpoint issue within the Republican Party.
“The president has made it clear he always wants to pursue diplomacy,” she said. “But believe me, the president is unafraid to use strength as necessary. Iran and the entire world should know that the United States military is the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world.”
U.S. Remains Sole Military Deterrent
Analysts say the U.S. remains the only nation with the military capacity to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, though doing so would likely ignite a broader regional war.
A potential strike would dramatically escalate global instability, impacting global energy markets, diplomatic alliances, and the 2024 presidential race.
Trump, who signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act during his first term and withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, has long warned about Tehran’s ambitions. He has insisted the U.S. must stop Iran “at all costs” from acquiring nuclear weapons.
With the world watching and U.S. allies deeply concerned, the coming two weeks may determine whether Washington chooses war or diplomacy in a conflict that has defined Middle East geopolitics for decades.
