President Donald Trump introduced Thursday that he would take as much as two weeks to resolve whether or not to hitch Israel in attacking Iran, because the world waits to see if the U.S. navy will contain itself in one other expensive conflict within the Center East.
Trump’s pause was relayed to the media by White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“Based mostly on the truth that there is a substantial likelihood of negotiations which will or could not happen with Iran within the close to future, I’ll make my resolution whether or not or to not go throughout the subsequent two weeks,” stated Leavitt, quoting the president instantly.
Get your morning information roundup from Liz Wolfe and Cause.
This delay may give U.S. and Iranian officers time to hammer out a peace deal. Trump’s prime negotiator, Steve Witkoff, has been in dialogue with Iran since April, in line with The New York Instances. Within the face of an unrelenting bombing marketing campaign by Israel, which is now attempting to get at Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear facility, Iran may theoretically be extra prepared to take Trump’s deal: uranium enrichment, however no nuclear weapons applications.
In fact, it is also doable that the assaults on Iran have hardened the nation’s resolve to battle on, making a deal a lot much less seemingly than earlier than. Certainly, Iran’s regime may even see the acquisition of a nuclear weapon as the one cheap possibility for deterring additional assaults by Israel. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu appears inclined to present the U.S. no selection however to hitch the strikes on Iran. Based on experiences, Trump repeatedly ordered Netanyahu to not have interaction in wide-ranging assaults on Iran, however finally associated within the face of Israeli intelligence alleging that Iran was near constructing a bomb. On the U.S. aspect, nonetheless, there isn’t any new intelligence in regards to the gravity of the Iranian nuclear risk; Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed in March that Iranian Supreme Chief Ayatollah Khamenei “has not licensed a nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
Echoes of Iraq. The state of affairs is drawing apparent parallels with the disastrous Iraq Battle, launched by President George W. Bush in 2003. In that case, intelligence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was buying weapons of mass destruction led the Bush administration to launch an offensive conflict on the nation, at the price of billions of {dollars} and tens of millions of lives. The intelligence, nonetheless, was mistaken.
Trump’s success in the course of the 2016 marketing campaign was due partly to his vocal opposition to the Iraq Battle, which by then was thought of a profound mistake by nearly all people however the Republican Get together’s institution. Within the Republican main debates, Trump railed towards Bush by proxy—his brother, Jeb, was working for the nomination—and scored factors with intervention-weary voters.
Trump confronting Jeb Bush in regards to the conflict in Iraq
pic.twitter.com/Z1S82NjPTq— Particular Conditions ???? Analysis Publication (Jay) (@SpecialSitsNews) June 18, 2025
The Make American Nice Once more (MAGA) base just isn’t a monolith, and a few conservative commentators appear assured that MAGA is with Trump, it doesn’t matter what he decides. “Trump’s supporters have his again no matter he chooses,” wrote David Marcus, a Fox Information columnist, in response to my query in regards to the inside MAGA debate on this subject.
Can Trump actually do no mistaken, from the standpoint of his base? Possibly so. However the extent to which there’s an actual distinction of opinion on this subject shouldn’t be ignored. Many main Republican personalities—Steve Bannon, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R–Ga.)—are useless set towards navy escalation, as are libertarian-leaning members of Congress equivalent to Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.). And importantly, the rightwing podcasting universe can be opposed: Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Tucker Carlson, and so forth. These are the platforms that Trump made ample use of in the course of the 2024 presidential marketing campaign. His profitable enchantment to younger, male voters is essentially and appropriately attributed to this technique. The audiences for Rogan, Von, and Carlson are non-interventionists, and Trump bought himself to them on that foundation.
That may be one of many explanation why Trump has apparently determined to present peace yet another likelihood—if that’s certainly what he’s doing.
Markets react. The markets love peace: The information that Trump has delayed any navy motion brought about a favorable response within the inventory market. “Traders on Friday are cheering President Trump’s announcement that he may take as much as two weeks earlier than deciding whether or not to hitch Israel in placing Iran,” reported The New York Instances.
Scenes from D.C.: Summer time is upon us, which suggests the nation’s capital is stricken by sweltering humidity and excessive temperatures all through the day, after which sudden thunderstorms that seem out of nowhere. One such storm even produced a formidable rainbow over the White Home. Pleased satisfaction month, y’all.
Afternoon rain showers in Washington D.C. left a rainbow over the White Home on Wednesday. (by way of NEWSMAX’s @MikeCarterTV) pic.twitter.com/AePuLYcJWu
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) June 19, 2025
- In different information, the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed that immigration officers tried to enter Dodger Stadium and have been rebuffed. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) denied this, staying flatly: “We have been by no means there.”
- Fox Information reporter Matt Finn contends it was Border Patrol, relatively than ICE.
- A federal appeals courtroom has dominated that the Nationwide Guard can stay in Los Angeles, California, because the order to deploy them there was lawful.
- A SpaceX starship exploded throughout a take a look at launch.
- Rich businessmen are vowing to go away New York Metropolis if Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is elected mayor of town. The Democratic main election, which can seemingly decide who finally turns into mayor, is subsequent Tuesday, June 24. Mamdani is inside placing distance of the frontrunner, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
