President Trump on Wednesday declined to say whether the United States is moving closer to a decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, after Iran’s supreme leader warned the U.S. against an attack and rejected Trump’s call to surrender.
“You don’t seriously think I’m going to answer that question,” Trump said when a reporter asked if the U.S. would attack Iran at the White House. “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Trump’s remarks came as several lawmakers urged the president to refrain from taking military action against Iran.
In an interview on Wednesday with NPR’s Here and Now, Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, warned against entering a war with Iran.
“A third war in the Middle East in this century would be a horrible, horrible mistake, and it’s going to put U.S. service members at risk and also risk destabilizing the region,” he said. Earlier this week, Kaine introduced a war powers resolution that would require Trump to seek congressional approval before U.S. troops could engage in military conflict with Iran.
Also on Wednesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned in a nationally broadcast address, “The Americans must understand — any U.S. military incursion will undoubtedly lead to irreversible consequences.”
It comes amid nearly a week of fighting between U.S. ally Israel and Iran, and amid signals from U.S. and Israeli officials that Trump could be considering an attack on Iran.
In a string of social media posts on Tuesday, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and boasted “We now have total and complete control of the skies over Iran,” raising speculation that U.S. forces were already more involved than previously acknowledged.
Khamenei responded to the demand in his address Wednesday, his second public appearance since Israel launched strikes on his country last week.
“This is a nation that will never surrender to any form of imposition,” he said.
On Tuesday, Trump also issued a direct threat against Khamenei. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least for now.”
Trump spoke with national security team
Trump met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room for over an hour on Tuesday to discuss the conflict. The meeting took place shortly after Trump left a summit of the Group of Seven biggest economies in Canada a day early to work on what he called “a real end” to Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
Trump spoke with national security team
Trump met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room for over an hour on Tuesday to discuss the conflict. The meeting took place shortly after Trump left a summit of the Group of Seven biggest economies in Canada a day early to work on what he called “a real end” to Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
A person briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told NPR that Israel believes the U.S. will eventually join the offensive against Iran and is currently awaiting a formal decision from Washington.
There was little sign of diplomatic efforts underway.
Trump told reporters Friday that Iranian officials had reached out to try to negotiate. “They even suggested they come to the White House,” Trump said. “I said, ‘It’s very late,'” he said.
Two of Iran’s centrifuge facilities hit
On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, said two centrifuge production facilities in Iran were hit, hours after the Israeli military said it had attacked a plant in Iran.
Centrifuges are critical for enriching uranium, a key step in the process of producing nuclear weapons.
This comes a day after the nuclear agency’s director, Rafael Grossi, told the BBC it was likely all of the centrifuges at Natanz, Iran’s largest nuclear facility, had been severely damaged by Israeli airstrikes.
But he said there was “very limited, if any, damage” visible at the underground Fordo enrichment plant, the country’s second largest nuclear enrichment facility.
U.E. Embassy in Jerusalem closes
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said it would remain closed through Friday, citing security concerns. Some of the embassy staff and family members have already started leaving Israel.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee wrote on social media that the embassy was working on evacuation plans for U.S. who want to leave. He says Americans will be notified of flights or ships if they enroll in a government website for travelers.
With Israel’s airspace still closed to commercial traffic, tens of thousands of travelers remain stranded — both trying to leave the country and struggling to return. Israel’s Transport Ministry estimates that up to 150,000 citizens are currently abroad. Some foreign nationals have exited Israel overland via Jordan and Egypt, while others have been evacuated by sea.
Israeli airlines, meanwhile, have gained authorization to operate some emergency flights to bring Israelis home from Cyprus, France, Greece and Italy.
Source: www.npr.org By Rebecca Rosman, Franco Ordoñez