U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again refused to confirm whether or not Washington will join Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, as Americans staged anti-war protests calling for peace.
Both Iran and Israel are continuing to exchange missile bombardments, now entering their sixth day. In the latest exchange, Iranian missiles caused serious damage at four sites in central and southern Israel, including at the Soroka hospital, while Israeli forces reportedly attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor. Overall, Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1,329 others, according to a human rights group, while Israel claims 24 people have died and 800 injured in retaliatory strikes.
Speaking with journalists outside the White House, Trump maintained he had made no decision on whether Washington would join Israel. “I may do it. I may not do it,” he said. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he said, raising fears of further escalation if the U.S. targets Iran.
The U.S. president claimed Iranian officials wanted to come to Washington for a meeting and that “we may do that.” However, he added, “It’s a little late” for such talks. Noting the U.S. is the only country with the “capability” to dismantle Iran’s nuclear enrichment center, he reiterated that this did not mean the U.S. would actually step in.
Ahead of Trump’s talk, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected his earlier demand for unconditional surrender. Rebuking Trump in a pre-recorded speech, he warned that any attack on Iran by the U.S. would inflict “irreparable damage.”
Anti-war protests
Amidst the confusion over U.S. involvement in the conflict, demonstrators converged outside the White House and in New York to condemn Israel and urge the U.S. against getting involved in the conflict. They carried placards reading “Hands off Iran now” and “Stop funding genocide.”