U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly approved military strike plans against Iran but stopped short of issuing the final order to proceed, according to multiple U.S. media outlets. The delay, sources suggest, was intended to give Tehran a final chance to step back from its nuclear ambitions.
After returning early from the G7 Summit in Canada on Tuesday, Trump informed senior aides that while he had authorized a plan of attack, he had not yet given the green light. On Wednesday, he told reporters that he alone knew what course of action he would take, keeping his intentions deliberately vague.
“I may do it; I may not do it,” Trump said during a press briefing at the White House. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Trump added that it was likely too late for Iran to abandon its nuclear program. He claimed that Iranian officials were considering sending envoys to the White House for talks but suggested the window for negotiations was closing.
“I said it’s very late to be talking. We may meet. There’s a big difference between now and a week ago. Big difference,” he remarked, while reiterating his demand for what he called Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
Trump has repeatedly stated that the U.S. will not permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. In a pointed warning, he claimed the U.S. knew the whereabouts of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing him as an “easy target,” though he added that Khamenei was “safe for now.”
In response, Khamenei dismissed the threats, asserting that Iran would not capitulate. He warned that any U.S. military intervention would carry severe consequences.
“If America intervenes militarily, then it is certain the losses it will suffer cannot be compensated,” Khamenei stated.
