Trump says 2-week timeframe is the "maximum" to decide on US involvement in Iran
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Donald Trump indicated that his
two-week timeline for a decision on US military involvement in Iran is the “maximum” amount of time — and that he could make up his mind sooner.
“I’m giving them a period of time. We’re going to see what that period of time is. But I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey.
It’s the president’s first comments on the self-imposed deadline since his press secretary yesterday read aloud his statement setting that time frame for a diplomatic solution. Trump suggested, however, that he is not considering the possibility of US ground troops as he weighs an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
“I’m not going to talk about ground forces. The last thing you want to do is ground forces,” he said when asked if that was on the table.
He also appeared to suggest he does not believe Israel has the capacity to take out all of Iran’s nuclear facilities alone:
“They really have a very limited capacity. They could break through a little section, but they can’t go down very deep. They don’t have that capacity. And we’ll have to see what happens. Maybe it won’t be necessary.”
Officials and experts have suggested using the US’ unique
bunker-busting capabilities toward those ends.
Trump also said he will “always a peacemaker,” but “sometimes, you need some toughness to make peace.”
