President Trump refused to say on Wednesday (18) whether the United States is nearing a decision to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, after Iran’s supreme leader warned the US against an attack and rejected Trump’s demand for surrender.
“You don’t seriously think I’m going to answer that question?” Trump said when a reporter asked at the White House if the US would attack Iran. “I might do it. I might not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Trump’s comments came as several lawmakers urged the president to refrain from taking military action against Iran.
In a Wednesday interview on NPR’s “Here and Now” program, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, warned against going to war with Iran.
“A third war in the Middle East this century would be a horrific, horrific mistake, and it would put American troops at risk as well as destabilize the region,” he said. Earlier this week, Kaine introduced a war powers resolution that would require Trump to seek congressional approval before American troops could be involved in a military conflict with Iran.
Also on Wednesday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned in a nationally televised speech: “The Americans need to understand — any American military incursion will undoubtedly lead to irreversible consequences.”
This comes amid nearly a week of fighting between Israel, a US ally, and Iran, and amid signs from US and Israeli officials that Trump might be considering an attack on Iran.
In a series of social media posts on Tuesday, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and boasted: “Now we have total and complete control of Iran’s skies,” raising speculation that US forces were already more involved than previously admitted.
Khamenei responded to the demand in his Wednesday speech, his second public appearance since Israel launched attacks against his country last week.
“This is a nation that will never surrender to any form of imposition,” he said.
On Tuesday, Trump also made a direct threat against Khamenei. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but he’s safe there – we won’t kill him!, at least not for now.”
Trump met with the national security team
Trump met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room for more than an hour on Tuesday (17) to discuss the conflict. The meeting took place shortly after Trump left a G7 summit in Canada, the group of the world’s largest economies, a day earlier, to work on what he called a “real end” to the Iranian nuclear program.
Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
A person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told NPR that Israel believes the US will eventually join the offensive against Iran and is currently awaiting a formal decision from Washington.
There have been few signs of ongoing diplomatic efforts. Trump said Iranian officials had reached out to try to negotiate. “They even suggested coming to the White House,” Trump said. “I said: ‘It’s too late,’” he said.
Two Iranian centrifuge facilities were hit
On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, reported that two centrifuge production facilities in Iran had been hit, hours after the Israeli military announced an attack on a plant in Iran.
Centrifuges are essential for uranium enrichment, a key step in the nuclear weapons production process.
This comes a day after the head of the nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, told the BBC that it was likely that all centrifuges at Natanz, Iran’s largest nuclear facility, had been severely damaged by Israeli airstrikes.
But he said there was “very limited damage, if any,” visible at the underground Fordo enrichment plant, the country’s second-largest nuclear enrichment facility.
US Embassy in Jerusalem closes
The US Embassy in Jerusalem announced it will remain closed until Friday, citing security concerns. Some embassy staff and family members have already begun leaving Israel.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, wrote on social media that the embassy was working on evacuation plans for Americans who wish to leave. He said Americans will be notified about flights or ships if they register on a government website for travelers.
With Israeli airspace still closed to commercial traffic, tens of thousands of travelers remain stranded — both trying to leave the country and having difficulty returning. Israel’s Ministry of Transportation estimates that up to 150,000 citizens are currently abroad.
Some foreigners left Israel overland via Jordan and Egypt, while others were evacuated by sea.
Israeli airlines, meanwhile, have been authorized to operate some emergency flights to bring Israelis back from Cyprus, France, Greece, and Italy.
Source: www.npr.org By Rebecca Rosman, Franco Ordoñez