US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel’s strikes on Iran within the next two weeks, as there is still a “substantial” chance of talks to end the conflict.

Trump’s move to hit the pause button could open up space for diplomacy, after days of fevered questions about whether or not he would order US military action against Tehran.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a message from Trump after what she called “a lot of speculation” about whether the United States would be “directly involved” in the conflict.

“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,” Trump said in the statement.

Trump has set two-week deadlines that subsequently shifted on a series of other tough topics in the past, including the Russia-Ukraine war — but Leavitt denied he was putting off a decision.

“If there’s a chance for diplomacy, the president’s always going to grab it, but he’s not afraid to use strength as well,” Leavitt said.

At the same time, Leavitt reinforced the sense of urgency, telling reporters that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in the space of a “couple of weeks.”

“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,” she said.

Governments around the world are evacuating thousands of their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling Israel-Iran conflict, organising buses and planes and in some cases assisting people crossing borders on foot.

Foreigners have rushed to leave both countries after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign last Friday targeting Iran’s nuclear and military facilities, sparking retaliation from Tehran.

With Israel’s air space closed and the two countries exchanging heavy missile fire, many people are being evacuated via neighbouring countries.

European countries have already repatriated hundreds of their citizens from Israel.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia said Tuesday they had taken 181 people home on government planes.

“It was not possible to send the army plane straight to Israel,” the Czech defence ministry said in a statement, citing the air space closure.

“The evacuees were taken to an airport in a neighbouring country by buses. They crossed the border on foot.”

The German government said flights were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday via Jordan, while Poland said the first of its citizens were due to arrive back on Wednesday.

Greece said it had repatriated 105 of its citizens plus a number of foreign nationals via Egypt, while a private plane with 148 people landed in the Bulgarian capital Sophia on Tuesday.

United States
The US ambassador to Israel on Wednesday announced plans for evacuating Americans by air and sea.

The embassy is “working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures” for “American citizens wanting to leave Israel,” Ambassador Mike Huckabee posted on social media.

China
China has evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and several hundred more from Israel.

The Chinese foreign ministry said Thursday its “embassies and consulates will continue to make every effort to assist in the safe transfer and evacuation of Chinese citizens”.


Australia
Australia has started evacuating around 1,500 citizens from Iran and more than 1,200 from Israel — but missile barrages have made it too risky for civilian aircraft to land in either country, its foreign minister said.

“There’s no capacity for people to get civilian aircraft in, it is too risky, and the airspace is closed,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told national broadcaster ABC.

“We have taken the opportunity to get a small group of Australians out of Israel through a land border crossing.

“We are seeking to try and do more of that over the next 24 hours.”

Pakistan
Pakistan has shut its border crossings with neighbouring Iran, except to Pakistanis wanting to return home.

Around 1,000 Pakistanis have fled so far, including at least 200 students.

The foreign ministry said the families of diplomats and some non-essential staff from Iran had been evacuated.

India
Around 110 students who fled Iran over the land border with Armenia have landed in New Delhi, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

There are around 10,000 Indian citizens in Iran. In Israel there are around 30,000 Indians, according to the country’s embassy in New Delhi.

Japan
Japan has ordered military planes to be on standby for around 1,000 Japanese nationals believed to live in Israel, and around 280 in Iran, according to government ministers.

The Japanese embassies in Iran and Israel are preparing to use buses to evacuate citizens to neighbouring countries, a government spokesman said, as the war entered its seventh day.

Indonesia
Indonesia is preparing to evacuate around 380 of its citizens currently in Iran by land, Jakarta’s foreign minister said Thursday.

“Flights are no longer possible, so the only way is land route. It will start tonight,” Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said in a video.

Vietnam
Vietnam, which has more than 700 citizens in Israel and dozens in Iran, said it was working to ensure their safety.

The foreign ministry said Thursday that 18 Vietnamese from Iran were evacuated, 16 of whom returned to Vietnam. It did not provide further information on evacuations from Israel.

Philippines
The Philippines is preparing to repatriate 28 Israel-based Filipino workers out of 178 who asked for help, the Department of Migrant Workers secretary Hans Cacdac said Thursday.

At least 21 Philippine government officials have also crossed into Jordan by land from Israel since the conflict began, the foreign ministry said.

A hospital in southern Israel and two towns near Tel Aviv were struck after a barrage of Iranian missiles on Thursday morning, with rescuers reporting at least 47 people injured in the latest attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran would “pay a heavy price” after the strike on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel, while Defence Minister Israel Katz said the army had been ordered to “intensify” strikes on Iran.

“This morning, Iran’s terrorist dictators fired missiles at Soroka Hospital… and at civilians in the centre of the country. We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.

A spokesperson for the hospital reported “damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time”.

AFP footage showed smoke billowing from the complex, which serves populations in southern Israel, but is also known to treat soldiers wounded in Gaza.

Buildings were also damaged in the central towns of Ramat Gan and Holon, close to coastal hub Tel Aviv, which has been repeatedly targeted by Iranian missiles since war broke out between the countries last Friday.

Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue service said that at least 47 people were injured in Iran’s latest missile strikes, with 18 more injured “while running to shelter”.

Three people are in serious condition, and two are in moderate condition, an MDA spokesperson said in a statement.

“An additional 42 people sustained minor injuries from shrapnel and blast trauma, and 18 civilians were injured while running to shelter,” the spokesperson added.

Defence Minister Katz meanwhile said in a statement: “These are some of the most serious war crimes — and (Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei will be held accountable for his actions.”

“The Prime Minister and I have ordered the (military) to intensify strikes against strategic targets in Iran and against the power infrastructure in Tehran, in order to eliminate the threats to the State of Israel and to shake the ayatollahs’ regime,” he added.

Sirens sounded across Israel early Thursday as the military said it detected incoming missiles from Iran and AFP journalists reported hearing loud blasts in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

A military official added that “dozens of ballistic missiles” had been launched at Israel.

The explosions heard by AFP journalists in Jerusalem around 7:10 am (0410 GMT), when air defences activated, were the loudest since the conflict with Iran began on Friday.

Sirens sounded twice in Tel Aviv in the morning, while an all-clear message was given around half an hour after the first one.

AFP