Anti-war protest, organized by pro-Iranian group, underway at Lafayette Park in DC
Anti-war protest underway in DC as Trump considers strike on Iran
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering strikes on Iran as the Middle Eastern nation continues to trade fire with Israel. An anti-war protest is expected to start at 6 p.m. in Lafayette Park in D.C., organized by a pro-Iranian group based here.
WASHINGTON - An anti-war protest is underway in Lafayette Park in D.C., organized by a pro-Iranian group based here.
Despite the questionable weather, dozens showed up to voice their concerns about the increasing tensions in the Middle East—and America's potential involvement.
What we know:
There's still no concrete word on whether the U.S. will be getting directly involved in the war of words and missiles between Israel and Iran.
Israel wants President Donald Trump to order the dropping of a U.S.-made, so-called "bunker-busting bomb," into a fortified and underground nuclear facility in Iran.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rejected Trump's call for an unconditional surrender, adding that if the U.S. answers Israel's call and attacks Iran, the response would cause, in the Ayatollah's words, "irreparable damage."
Trump didn't tip his hand about what he might do when asked outside the White House this morning.
"I may do it. I may not do it," he said. "I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate and I said why didn't you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction?"
The U.S. ambassador to Israel has warned Americans to get out of harm's way if they can.
What they're saying:
FOX 5 spoke to a special envoy to Israel's foreign ministry from her home in Jerusalem.
"Nobody should be a casualty of this war that we're doing for our own survival because the minute that Iran gets nuclear capabilities is the minute where the countdown of Israel's destruction begins. And so we can't afford to wait. We can't afford any more time. And I think that thank God our allies are aware of that," said Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Special Envoy to Israel's Foreign Ministry.
"They're very big on rhetoric, the Iranians, and we're praying that they've overplayed their hand and that in fact we've decapitated their capability so much and their leadership that they know it's the beginning of the end. But I have to warn that an injured animal is at its most dangerous and so we pray that President Trump stands with civilization at this hour of need," Hassan-Nahoum continued.
We'll be hearing from Iranian Americans who say they will be gathering here outside the White House as the afternoon progresses.
Big picture view:
President Donald Tump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, as conflict intensifies in the Middle East.
The open conflict between Israel and Iran erupted last Friday with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
In Washington, the White House announced Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether to join Israel’s campaign against Iran’s military and nuclear program, signaling that Trump still sees a window for diplomacy to address Israeli and U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
"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," Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, told reporters, reading out Trump's statement.
On Wednesday, Trump urged Iran to surrender unconditionally and said the U.S. knows where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding — but doesn’t want him killed "for now."