Trump Says It’s ‘Very Hard to Stop’ Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Doubts Ceasefire Feasibility

Trump Says It’s ‘Very Hard to Stop’ Israel’s Strikes on Iran: US President Donald Trump on Friday indicated that he is unlikely to urge Israel to stop its airstrikes on Iran, despite stalled diplomacy and growing international pressure for de-escalation, including from the United Nations.

Asked by reporters if he would back a truce while diplomatic talks continue, Trump replied, "I might, depending on the circumstances." He also warned that Iran has a limited timeframe to avoid possible U.S. military action. "I'm giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum," Trump said, hinting that a decision could come sooner.

Trump expressed doubt over Europe’s ability to mediate the conflict. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," he said.

On the same day, Iran’s foreign minister held talks with British, French, German, and EU counterparts in Geneva to discuss restarting diplomatic efforts on its nuclear program. European leaders urged Tehran to engage directly with Washington, but the discussions ended without a breakthrough.

As of Thursday, correspondence between the U.S. and Iran “has continued,” according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who did not provide specifics about whether communications were direct or through intermediaries.

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Leavitt also said Thursday that Trump will make a decision “in the next two weeks” on whether to intervene in Israel’s conflict with Iran.

Trump on Friday described the two-week timeline as the maximum he would give to Iran.

“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,” he said.

Trump has recently taken a more aggressive public stance toward Tehran as he’s sought more time to weigh whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility. Buried under a mountain, the facility is believed to be out of the reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs.

After landing in New Jersey for an evening fundraiser for his super political action committee, Trump was asked about Gabbard’s comments to Congress in March that U.S. spy agencies believed that Iran wasn’t working on nuclear warheads. The president responded, “Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?”

In a subsequent post on X, Gabbard said her testimony was taken out of context "as a way to manufacture division".

"America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly," she wrote. "President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree."

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Still, disavowing Gabbard's previous assessment came a day after the White House said Trump would decide within two weeks whether the US military would get directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. It said seeking additional time was "based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future".

“Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us,” Trump said. “Europe is not going to be able to help in this one.” While reaffirming his image as a “peacemaker,” Trump rejected comparisons between the current standoff and America’s 2003 invasion of Iraq—a war he has frequently criticized.

“There were no weapons of mass destruction. I never thought there were,” Trump said. “That was somewhat pre-nuclear, nothing like it is today.”

He added of Iran’s current nuclear program, “It looked like I’m right about the material that they’ve gathered already. It’s a tremendous amount of material.”

Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise on both sides. Israel's air campaign has killed 639 people in Iran, including senior military officials and nuclear scientists, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes have killed 24 civilians in Israel, according to local authorities.

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