The White Home on Thursday acknowledged definitively that Iran may produce a nuclear weapon in “a few weeks” as soon as given the go-ahead from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Let’s be very clear, Iran has all that it wants to attain a nuclear weapon,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned at her briefing. “All they want is a choice from the supreme chief to try this.”
“And it could take a few weeks to finish the manufacturing of that weapon, which might, after all, pose an existential risk not simply to Israel however to the United States and to the complete world,” she continued.
How shut Iran is to creating a usable nuclear weapon has been on the middle of the Israel-Iran battle, with continuing debate over the potential “breakout timeline” as soon as the nation has stockpiled sufficient weapons-grade enriched uranium.
The final time the U.S. gave an official, public breakout timeline was in July 2024 when then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned it could take Iran one to 2 weeks to counterpoint sufficient uranium of 90% purity to get the fissile materials wanted for a nuclear weapon.
“When you’re at 60 [percent enrichment], you are 90% of the best way there. You’re, in essence, a threshold nuclear weapons state, which is what Iran principally has change into,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned in an interview final month.
But when Iran had been to supply sufficient weapons-grade uranium, most specialists estimate it could take Iran between a number of months to 2 years to truly make a deliverable nuclear warhead.
In March, Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified that the intelligence neighborhood concluded the Iranians weren’t “constructing” a nuclear bomb and that the supreme chief had not but approved one to be constructed.
Trump, when requested about Gabbard’s testimony this week, dismissed it, saying: “I don’t care what she mentioned, I believe they had been very near having one.” Gabbard then insisted she and Trump had been on the identical web page — that Iran was “shut” to acquiring a weapon — and that her testimony was misconstrued.
The intelligence neighborhood, although, did assess that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile was at its highest stage and was unprecedented for a state with out nuclear weapons, Gabbard testified.
Resolution on attacking inside two weeks, Trump says
All eyes are on what Trump will do subsequent as Israel and Iran proceed to commerce strikes, which Israel mentioned it would intensify after an Iranian missile hit a hospital in Beersheba.
The White Home mentioned on Thursday he would make a selection on whether or not to take army motion towards Tehran throughout the subsequent two weeks.
“‘Based mostly on the truth that there is a substantial likelihood of negotiations that will or might not happen with Iran within the close to future, I’ll make my resolution whether or not or to not go throughout the subsequent two weeks.’ That is a quote instantly from the president for all of you as we speak,” Leavitt mentioned.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks throughout a press briefing on the White Home, June 19, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
Trump’s met with advisers within the Scenario Room thrice this week after departing the G7 summit early because of tensions within the Center East. He accredited assault plans introduced to him however was ready to see if Iran could be keen to barter and hasn’t made a remaining resolution, sources aware of the matter informed ABC Information.
He is set for an additional Scenario Room assembly on Friday earlier than attending a personal fundraiser that night time in Bedminster, New Jersey, earlier than returning to the White Home Saturday afternoon the place he’ll get extra intelligence briefings that night and Sunday night.
A supply aware of the intelligence mentioned the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers mentioned to not take motion till U.S. property are in a greater place within the area. The U.S. is within the technique of shifting the usFord plane service to the Mediterranean. The supply additionally mentioned Trump needed to know whether or not a 30,000-pound bomb made by the U.S. would achieve success in destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Leavitt mentioned that Trump’s resolution could be partly based mostly on his “instincts” as he faces different pressures from all sides, together with a break up in his Republican base between isolationists and Israel hawks.
“Look, the president hears all voices throughout the nation, and he makes selections based mostly on his instincts,” Leavitt mentioned. “And he has all the time mentioned diplomacy is his first choice.”
ABC Information Chief White Home Correspondent Mary Bruce requested Leavitt what made Trump imagine there is a substantial likelihood for negotiation, however Leavitt declined to put out his considering.
“I am not going to get into the reasoning and the rationale,” she mentioned. “The president believes that, however that is his place and he’ll decide throughout the subsequent two weeks.”
The White Home mentioned correspondence has continued between the USA and the Iranians, although it wasn’t monitoring whether or not U.S. Particular Envoy to the Center East Steve Witkoff would attend talks in Geneva between European leaders and the Iranians.
In the meantime, Israel on Thursday made sturdy statements saying Iran’s supreme chief can not proceed to “exist” — prompting questions of whether or not Israel now needs regime change in Iran. Leavitt was requested on Thursday whether or not the U.S. would get entangled in such a state of affairs.
“The president’s prime precedence proper now could be guaranteeing that Iran can not get hold of a nuclear weapon and offering peace and stability within the Center East,” Leavitt mentioned.
ABC Information Chief International Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz contributed to this report.
