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WASHINGTON (TNND) — Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel overnight as diplomatic efforts get underway and President Donald Trump weighs whether to get the U.S. involved in the conflict.
Trump said in a statement on Thursday that he will decide within the next two weeks if the U.S. will launch a strike on Iran.
“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,” per the statement White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read during a press briefing.
Britain’s foreign secretary said he met at the White House with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the potential for a deal that could cool the conflict.
Before flying to Geneva for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was “not seeking negotiations with anyone” as long as Israel's attacks continued. He also accused the U.S. of collaborating with Israel, noting that Trump regularly used “we” in social media posts and interviews talking about the attacks on Iran.
It is the Americans who want talks," he said in comments Thursday that were broadcast Friday by Iranian state television. "They’ve sent messages several times — very serious ones — but we made it explicitly clear to them that as long as this aggression and invasion continue, there is absolutely no room for talk or diplomacy. We are engaged in legitimate self-defense, and this defense will not stop under any circumstances.
He added that he expected the Switzerland talks to focus only on Iran's nuclear program, and that Iran's missile capabilities were “for defending the country” and not up for discussion.
Israel's military said it conducted overnight airstrikes in Iran with more than 60 aircraft hitting industrial sites in Tehran used to manufacture missiles. The headquarters of Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by its acronym in Farsi, SPND, was also hit.
"This building was used for the development of advanced technologies and weapons supporting the Iranian regime’s military capabilities," IDF said.
Airstrikes also targeted the areas around Kermanshah and Tabriz in western Iran, where the military said 25 fighter jets struck “missile storage and launch infrastructure components."
Israel's defense minister threatened Iran's supreme leader on Thursday after aerial attacks continued overnight, striking the main hospital in southern Israel and hitting several residential buildings near Tel Aviv.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "cowardly" for targeting hospitals and residential buildings as he "sits in the depths of the fortified bunker."
"These are war crimes of the most serious kind - and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes," he added. "The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in order to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs' regime."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would “do what's best for America.” Speaking from the rubble and shattered glass around the hospital, he added: “I can tell you that they’re already helping a lot."
The conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13, when Israel targeted nuclear and military sites. Iran launched "Operation Severe Punishment" in response to the strikes.
Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors into its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief and other provisions.
After Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his last term, however, Iran began enriching uranium to higher levels and limiting access to its facilities.
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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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