White House: Trump Decides Whether to Attack Iran Within Two Weeks... Behind-the-Scenes Diplomatic Battle

U.S. Middle East Envoy Communicates Multiple Times with Iranian Foreign Minister

As U.S. President Donald Trump is deeply considering whether to provide military options for an Israeli attack on Iran, he gave Iran a "two-week" deadline on the 19th to begin pressuring Iran through diplomatic channels to abandon its nuclear weapons development. That day, White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt read out Trump's statement on his behalf, saying: "Based on the fact that there is a significant possibility of negotiating with Iran in the near future, I will decide (whether to attack Iran) within two weeks." This has sparked various speculations from outside, with some suggesting it may be a signal to restart negotiations or a way to buy time for military options.

That day, The New York Times (NYT) analyzed that "Trump seems to offer Iran an exit, but actually strengthens the military option." During these two weeks, while observing changes in Iran's attitude towards nuclear negotiations, it also allows Iran to lower its guard for subsequent military actions. The report stated: "Even if it is not an active and intentional deception, the U.S. can respond to Iran's retaliation within two weeks by deploying aircraft carriers and other means." According to reports by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and other U.S. media, Trump had already approved the attack plan against Iran on the 17th, but retained the execution order to observe Iran's decisions. Additionally, Israel attacked the high-concentration uranium facility, the core of Iran's nuclear project, at Fordow. Over time, Iran's air defense network will be further weakened, and when the U.S. drops bunker-buster bombs, the success rate will also increase. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to destroy the Fordow nuclear facility.

Due to opposition from his supporters, Trump made concessions. He repeatedly considered whether to attack Iran mainly because the MAGA (Make America Great Again) camp following him generally worries that the U.S. military might be drawn into a long-term Middle East war. They are concerned that if the Trump administration intervenes early in this situation, core issues such as expelling illegal immigrants and adjusting trade imbalances would be swallowed up. Previously, Trump always claimed to minimize external intervention, and there was great disagreement among White House advisors. According to Leavitt, until that day, Trump had held three consecutive national security meetings in the White House War Room, and before attending the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit on the 23rd, he would also listen to information reports from the national security team over the weekend.

Meanwhile, there are signs that Iran secretly shows interest in restarting negotiations with the U.S., and Trump judged the optimal solution to avoid bearing intervention risks and solving problems, thus setting a "diplomatic period" of two weeks in advance. That day, Reuters cited comments from three anonymous diplomats reporting that as part of the diplomatic resolution of this crisis, U.S. Middle East envoy Steven Witkopf had multiple phone calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi after Israel's attack. It is understood that Araqchi conveyed the stance that "if Washington pressures Israel to stop the war, Tehran can handle the nuclear issue flexibly." Leavitt said: "The president always cares about solving world problems and global disputes through diplomatic means" and "will seize any diplomatic opportunity, but is not afraid to use force either."

However, some argue that we should not overly focus on Trump's two-week deadline. Since he took office, Trump has tried to accelerate the final peace talks of the Ukraine war, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not respond. To this end, Trump once proposed a two-week deadline to Putin in May, but took no special measures against Putin after the deadline passed. Regarding major policies such as taxation, healthcare, and infrastructure, he also said: "Will announce to the public in about two weeks" and "let's talk again in two weeks," but usually does not keep promises. Therefore, The New York Times (NYT) said: "Almost everyone in Washington knows that two weeks is one of Trump's favorite time units." However, if there is a major change in the situation between Israel and Iran, it cannot be ruled out that Trump will ignore the two-week deadline and decide on military intervention in advance.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835446896055818/

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