US president Donald Trump has given himself two weeks to decide whether the US will join Israel’s escalating war with Iran, according to the White House. This window is meant to allow time for potential diplomatic resolution, as international efforts intensify to prevent regional escalation.
The move follows inflammatory remarks from Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, who called for regime change in Tehran and suggested the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Katz said Iran’s leadership could no longer be tolerated after missile strikes, including one that damaged Soroka hospital in Beersheba. While no fatalities occurred due to emergency protocols, the attack sparked outrage across Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later clarified that regime change was not Israel’s official war goal, though he acknowledged it could be a consequence of the conflict. On a hospital visit, he invoked the Biblical figure Cyrus the Great, calling for the Iranian people to rise up. The USA is reportedly considering whether its bunker-buster bombs could destroy Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear site—something Israel’s arsenal cannot achieve. Strike plans are ready, but Trump is holding out for potential negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran continues to claim its nuclear program is peaceful, though it enriches uranium to levels close to weapons-grade.
In Geneva, Iran’s foreign minister is set to meet his British, French, and German counterpart officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin and several Gulf nations have also offered to mediate.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, emphasizing the urgency of a diplomatic solution. “A two-week window now exists to avoid wider conflict,” Lammy said. Tensions have surged with missile exchanges and Israeli strikes on nuclear and symbolic Iranian sites, including the Arak heavy-water reactor and Natanz complex. Meanwhile, Iran has positioned missiles in anticipation of US involvement and warned of “irreparable damage” if the US joins direct attacks.
As fears of escalation grow, several countries are planning evacuations, and Israel has closed its main airport, with efforts underway to repatriate citizens stranded abroad.