Iran-Israel Conflict: Donald Trump Warns Iran Has 'Two Weeks' To Avoid US Strikes

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump warned escalating tensions on Friday, giving Iran a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid potential American air strikes. His remarks come as Israel asserts it has already delayed Iran's presumed nuclear ambitions by at least two years.

Trump also dismissed European diplomatic efforts, saying it would be "very hard" to ask Israel to halt its ongoing military actions, according to a report by AFP.

A series of blasts were heard in Tehran on Friday as Israel kept up the massive wave of strikes it says is aimed at stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran has denied.

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“According to the assessment we hear, we already delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb,” Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar said in an interview published Saturday.

Saar said Israel's week-long onslaught will continue. "We will do everything that we can do there in order to remove this threat," he told German newspaper Bild.

As Trump mulls the prospect of joining the war on Israel's side, top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany met their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Geneva and urged him to resume talks with the United States that had been derailed by Israel's attacks.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said "we invited the Iranian minister to consider negotiations with all sides, including the United States, without awaiting the cessation of strikes, which we also hope for."

But Araghchi told NBC News after the meeting that "we're not prepared to negotiate with them (the United States) anymore, as long as the aggression continues."

Trump was dismissive of European efforts, telling reporters, "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."

Trump also said he's unlikely to ask Israel to stop its attacks to get Iran back to the table.

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"If somebody's winning, it's a little bit harder to do," he said.

Any US involvement would likely feature powerful bunker-busting bombs that no other country possesses to destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordo.

On the streets of Tehran, many shops were closed and normally busting markets largely abandoned on Friday.

Since Israel launched its offensive on June 13, targeting nuclear and military sites but also hitting residential areas, Iran has responded with barrages which Israeli authorities say have killed at least 25 people.

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A hospital in the Israeli port of Haifa reported 19 injured, including one person in serious condition, after the latest Iranian salvo.

More than 450 missiles have been fired at the country so far, along with about 400 drones, according to Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate.

We will do everything that we can do there in order to remove this threat.

Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not updated the toll since.

(With inputs from AFP)

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. is considering military action if Iran does not comply within the given timeframe.
• Israel claims success in delaying Iran's nuclear capabilities, which has not been acknowledged by Tehran.
• Diplomatic efforts by Europe are facing significant challenges as tensions rise and conflict escalates.

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