Trump will decide on US involvement in Israel-Iran conflict within two weeks: White House
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says that US President Donald Trump will decide on whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks.
Citing a message from Trump, Leavitt told reporters, “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.”
The White House spokesperson says the US government maintains that it is a “fact that Iran has never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon”.
She says the US is “monitoring and watching” the developments in the Israel-Iran conflict and the US president was just in an intelligence briefing and he continues to be briefed by his National Security Council.
He also remains in “constant communication with our Israeli counterparts, most notably, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu”.
She also said Trump has made it clear he always wants to “pursue diplomacy, but … the president is unafraid to use strength if necessary”.
‘This is a war on the Iranian people’
Iranian American analyst Negar Mortazavi says Israeli attacks are targeting Iran as a nation, not just the governing system.
“This is a war on the Iranian people as much as it is on the regime,” Mortazavi told Al Jazeera.
“Anybody who wasn’t sure about where the ‘freedom bombs’ would be dropped is now clear-eyed that there’s no way the ‘freedom bombs’ will only come on military and nuclear targets to free the people. No, the ‘freedom’ bombs are also coming in people’s homes. Civilians are being killed in big numbers.”
Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah renews warning for US against entering war
Abu Ali al-Askari, the spokesperson of the Iran-allied group, says if the US joins Israel in its assault, it will suffer severe consequences and lose the investments it was promised from Gulf states.
“There is no doubt that US bases in the region will resemble fields for hunting ducks, the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb will be closed and the oil ports in the Red Sea will stop, not to mention what will happen to its aircraft in the sky,” he said in a statement.
Trump’s two-week deadline could be a ploy
Al Jazeera’s senior analyst Marwan Bishara says Trump may still carry out strikes on Iran within the two-week deadline that his spokesperson just announced. “He could actually use that as a pretext in order to camouflage whatever his intentions are and attack tomorrow,” Bishara said.
Trump had renewed commitment to diplomacy with Iran hours before the Israeli strikes began last week.
Bishara said the US president could also be pausing his decision to allow talks between Iranian and European officials tomorrow and see where they may lead. “If one has to over-interpret, I would say the following: He’s giving the Europeans some time so that everyone could save face,” he said.
