White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt announced on Tuesday night (February 24) that US President Donald Trump always considers diplomacy to be his first option in dealing with Tehran, but is prepared to use the lethal force of the US military against Iran if necessary.
Leavitt emphasized that the final decision on security and military matters rests entirely with Trump.
The United States has deployed a large naval force near Iran’s coast in recent weeks to be able to take immediate military action if needed.
Trump had previously announced that he had given Tehran about 10 to 15 days to reach an agreement and is likely to repeat or escalate the threat of attacking Iran’s nuclear program in his annual State of the Union address.
