Trump announced 2-week window for Iran attack plans to 'throw off Iranians'
A report said the president's decision was made to throw off Iran and conceal his true thoughts
President Donald Trump reportedly told his staff to inform the media he’d need two weeks to make a final decison on whether to attack Iran in a bid to throw off the Iranians, despite already having a plan in place.
CNN reported that the president had been leaning towards a strike in Iran for days, but his staff repeatedly told US media he would take two weeks to decide in order to “obscure his thinking.” Several sources told the outlet the decision was made to throw off Iranians and conceal his plan.
On Thursday, he made the call to tell reporters the two-week timeline, delivering the message through White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Forty-eight hours after he announced the two weeks, the US dropped bombs on three key Iranian uranium enrichment facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Estefan.
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Trump was “frustrated” over news coverage that he had made up his mind. Leavitt said at the time: “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, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."
By the time he made the final call Saturday, however, those around Trump believed he had been planning that outcome for days, CNN reports.
The move could be one Trump often does. NBC News reported that the president has made several two-week timelines for himself in the last few weeks, including setting the rate on tariffs, deciding to send aid to Ukraine, and determining if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was doing a good job.
Not everyone agrees with Trump's decision. American citizens have had varied responses as well. Some lawmakers have expressed support for President Donald Trump's decision, while others have demanded his impeachment for acting without Congressional consent.
Several US lawmakers have called for Trump's impeachment after the strike, saying it is unconstitutional to launch an attack without congressional approval. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was among the most vocal critics, warning that the president’s actions could entangle the United States in a prolonged conflict.
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“The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” she wrote in a post on social media.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., echoed Ocasio-Cortez’s concerns, urging an immediate vote on a War Powers Resolution to restrict further military engagement.
"Trump struck Iran without any authorization of Congress. We need to immediately return to DC and vote to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war.”
Even some conservative representatives expressed concern over the president's unyielding power. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, said: "No president can wage war unilaterally without Congress."
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres added that he is "gravely alarmed by the use of force" from the US in Iran.
He continued: "This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security."
