Trump Set to Decide on Iran Strike Within Two Weeks as U.S. Warns of Imminent Middle East War

Donald Trump has said he will decide whether to launch military strikes against Iran in two weeks, citing the possibility of fresh negotiations with Tehran.

The US president had reportedly signed off on potential attack plans aimed at crippling the Middle East state's underground nuclear program . It was reported he had given Iran’s leaders a two-day deadline to cease all attacks on Israel or face American military action.

However, amid growing pressure both from allies and critics, Trump released a statement indicating he would hold back for now.

“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 statement from Trump read.

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The announcement follows days of mounting speculation over America’s role in Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Iranian military and nuclear facilities.

Trump has come under intense pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join the offensive, with calls to use US firepower, specifically bunker-busting bombs, to finish off key nuclear sites.

It comes after Trump signed off on plans for potential military strikes on Iran – but is holding back on making a final decision, as he weighs the risks of dragging the US into a full-scale war.

Sources close to the Oval Office say the president is actively reviewing attack options, including the use of 30,000lb bunker-busting bombs to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities .

Trump remained hesitant to commit , wary of a prolonged foreign conflict he has long vowed to avoid, on Thursday. “There are a lot of things in motion,” a US official said, “but the President wants to keep his options open until the very last moment.” Trump’s top priority, according to insiders, is to avoid a drawn-out military entanglement.

While he is open to arguments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that only American power can cripple Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the president has so far resisted calls for immediate intervention.

Trump's national security team descended on the White House ahead of a meeting in the Situation Room on Wednesday.

Top officials, including Vice President JD Vance , Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and special envoy Steve Witkoff, arrived in the West Wing ahead of a scheduled meeting.

On Trump's official schedule, the meeting was listed as an 'intelligence briefing.' The president has met with his national security team in the Situation Room the past three days, as he says he is still mulling whether to launch a historic attack on Iran.

Over the weekend, US allies were told the White House would wait to assess Israel’s progress during its initial wave of attacks before deciding whether to join the offensive, according to two European diplomats.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump confirmed: “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due. Especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other.”

An Iranian missile hit the main hospital in southern Israel Thursday, wounding people and causing extensive damage. Other missiles hit a high-rise apartment building in Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel.

At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missiles, four of them seriously, according to Israel's Health Ministry.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military "has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist."

Israel carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, its latest attack on Iran's sprawling nuclear program. Iranian state television said there was "no radiation danger whatsoever" and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack.

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