US President Donald Trump said he is “not looking to fight” Iran amid reports he is considering US air strikes against the country, but he suggested he might be forced to conduct such operations to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
“I’m not looking to fight," Trump told reporters at the White House on June 18.
"But if it’s a choice between fighting and [Iran] having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do,” he added.
“You may have to fight,” he later stated.
The Wall Street Journal, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported that Trump had told aides on June 17 that he had approved plans for an attack on Iran but was waiting to see if Tehran would give up its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, the United States said it had begun evacuating nonessential diplomats and family members from its embassy in Jerusalem.
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Explosions Rock Tehran As Israeli Strikes Continue For Sixth Day
The comments came hours after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected Trump’s call for Tehran’s "unconditional surrender" as Israeli air strikes continued to pound targets across Iran for a sixth day.
The 86-year-old Khamenei -- speaking publicly for the second time since Israel launched attacks on Iran saying they were necessary to halt Tehran's nuclear program -- said peace or war could not be imposed on the Islamic republic and warned the United States to stay on the sidelines of the conflict.
Khamenei -- who under Iran’s constitution has the final say on all strategic matters -- was responding to comments by Trump late on June 17 that Iran's leader is safe "for now" while he urged Tehran to offer its "unconditional surrender."
"The Iranian nation is not one to surrender,” Khamenei said in a prerecorded nationally televised address on June 18. “Americans should know that any military involvement by the US will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them
Trump on June 17 wrote on social media that Khamenei "is an easy target, but is safe there -- We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,"
"Our patience is wearing thin," he added just hours after he called for a "real end" to deadly air strikes by both Iran and Israel.
Israel and many of its Western allies, including the United States, accuse Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Tehran has vehemently rejected the accusations, saying its atomic program is purely for civilian purposes.
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At What Stage Is The Iranian Nuclear Program?
The attacks have left millions of ordinary Iranians shaken, with thousands jamming highways leading out of Tehran to other cities as well as foreign destinations such as Turkey and Armenia, where they are seeking refuge from the fighting.
'Significant Blows' To Iranian Regime
Israeli military forces struck several targets inside Iran on June 18, with explosions reported in the early afternoon in east Tehran.
Iranian media late on June 18 reported that air defenses were in action in the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea. Details were not immediately available.
Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said in a video posted on X that since the offensive began on June 13, more than 1,100 targets inside Iran have been struck.
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'No City Is Safe': Iranians Flee Toward Armenian Border As Conflict With Israel Continues
Much of the country's military and scientific leadership has been killed in air strikes, that rights groups say have also caused scores of civilian deaths as well.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a nongovernmental organization of Iranian activists based in the United States, reported on June 18 that 239 civilians, 126 military personnel, and 220 unspecified people had died in Israeli air attacks.
It added that more than 1,300 more have been injured. The figures are based, it says, on official data and local reports.
"We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime, and as such, they have been pushed back into central Iran. They are now focusing their efforts on conducting missile fire from the area of Isfahan," Defrin added.
Israeli officials say 24 people in Israel have been killed in retaliatory air strikes launched by Iran.
Isfahan, Iran's third-largest city with a population of around 2.2 million people, and the surrounding region is home to some of the country's main nuclear facilities.
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on June 18 said Israel has struck the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center, which make parts for centrifuges that enrich uranium.
SEE ALSO: An Encounter With An Iranian Nuclear Scientist Killed In The Israeli Air Strikes
The violence has heightened fears that the entire Middle East -- already on edge due to Israel's 20-month-long war in Gaza -- is now on the cusp of all-out war.
Trump met with his National Security Council on June 17 and said US patience was "wearing thin," which, along with other recent statements from the president, has been interpreted as a possibility of greater American involvement in the conflict.
To date, the United States has said it is not involved in the Israeli operation, though analysts say that if Israel wants to hit Iran's Fordow nuclear site, it would need to use so-called "bunker-buster" bombs that only the US military possesses.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 18 that the world was "millimeters away from catastrophe" due to daily strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, while German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul appealed to Tehran to "act urgently," by committing to not pursue nuclear weapons capabilities.
"It is never too late to come to the negotiating table if you come with honest intentions," Wadephul said.
Trump appeared to dismiss offers by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mediate the Israel-Iran crisis, saying he told him, "Do me a favor, mediate your own [conflict]."
"Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this [Israel-Iran] later," Trump said he told Putin in a phone call.
Elsewhere on the diplomatic force, German sources told news agencies that the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain plan to hold talks on June 20 in Geneva with Iran's foreign minister.
A source said the talks will take place in coordination with the United States and aim to press Tehran to set firm guarantees it will use its nuclear program solely for civilian purposes.
Separately, the UN Security Council said it will also meet on June 20 to discuss the Iran-Israel crisis.
AFP cited a diplomatic source as saying the session was requested by Iran and backed by Russia, Pakistan, and China.
Many Flee Iranian Cities As Air Strikes Mount
Many Iranians have fled major cities instead of waiting for a possible negotiated end to the bombing campaign.
With Iranian airspace closed, ground transportation has become the main method of relocation, with major highways clogged and Tehran's streets deserted.
Northern border crossings with Turkey and Armenia -- destinations where Iranians do not need visas to enter -- are being flooded with those seeking to leave Iran fearing no place inside the country is safe.
"Everyone is worried. Worried of war. Worried of these missiles," one woman who had just crossed the border into Armenia told RFE/RL's Armenian service.