Donald Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether to launch a military strike on Iran aimed at crippling its nuclear capabilities, the White House confirmed Thursday.
The announcement came as Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire and drone attacks for the seventh consecutive day. Despite the ongoing violence, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president remains hopeful for a diplomatic resolution in the region.
Trump convened his national security team in the White House Situation Room for the third time in as many days, as he considers whether to use 30,000-pound ‘bunker buster’ bombs on Iran’s mile-deep underground nuclear facilities.
Earlier Thursday, Israeli officials released images of a precision airstrike on a nuclear facility in Arak, claiming the site was designed to produce plutonium – one of the key materials used in nuclear weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned Israel for its escalatory strikes on Iran in a phone call this morning, while UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer warned Trump against ‘ramping up’ the Middle East crisis.
Overnight, Iran escalated its retaliation, launching a barrage of missiles that struck a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, injuring at least 71 people.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that ‘no one is immune’ from potential Israeli action. His defense minister went further, saying Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ‘can no longer be allowed to exist.’
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