Trump to make decision on Middle East escalations within two weeks:

In a statement released on Thursday (19 June), the U.S. President set a two-week deadline to decide whether the United States should launch a military strike on Iran amid growing concerns over Tehran’s alleged nuclear capabilities.

Tensions have risen sharply in recent days amid exchanges of rocket fire between Iran and Israel. In response, Trump cut short his attendance at the G7 summit in order to receive security briefings and assess US options. Trump campaigned for the presidency on the promise that he would not lead the United States into another war in the Middle East. While some in his political base urge caution, others press for forceful intervention.

On Thursday (19 June), White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump still hopes for a diplomatic resolution, but is prepared to consider military action if Iran moves closer to acquiring nuclear weapons. She warned that Iran could complete a nuclear device within "a couple of weeks" if its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were to give the order.

However, doubts over Iran’s nuclear intentions persist. In an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday (19 June), the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said, "We did not find in Iran elements to indicate that there is an active, systematic plan to build a nuclear weapon". On Wednesday (18 June), the Washington-based think tank Arms Control Association also denounced US involvement in Israel's war against Iran, stating that there is no indication that Iran is weaponising its nuclear programme. Furthermore, on 25 March, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, informed Congress that Iran had not yet made a decision to weaponise its nuclear programme.

European officials are also exploring renewed talks with Iran, including diplomacy in Geneva, though Trump’s statement makes clear military action remains on the table.

Source: commonspace.eu wth Politico and other agencies

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Key European countries back Denmark in the face of Trump's continuing insistence on taking over Greenland

Key European countries back Denmark in the face of Trump's continuing insistence on taking over Greenland

 Six major European countries have declared their support to Denmark following renewed insistence by the US that it must have control over Greenland. "Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations," said the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, in a joint statement, issued on Tuesday (6 January), together with Denmark. On Sunday, Donald Trump said the US "needed" Greenland - a semi-autonomous region of fellow Nato member Denmark - for security reasons. He has refused to rule out the use of force to take control of the territory, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that an attack by the US would spell the end of Nato. The issue of Greenland's future resurfaced in the wake of the US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite troops went in to seize the country's President Nicolás Maduro and take him to face drugs and weapons charges in New York. Following the raid, Trump said the US would "run" Venezuela for an unspecified period of time. He also said the US was returning to an 1823 policy of US supremacy in its sphere of influence in the Western hemisphere - and he warned a number of countries the US could turn its attention to them. The US military raid in Venezuela has reignited fears that the US may consider using force to secure control of Greenland. A day after the raid, Katie Miller - the wife of one of Trump's senior aides - posted on social media a map of Greenland in the colours of the American flag, alongside the word "SOON". On Monday, her husband Stephen Miller said it was "the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the US". In an interview with CNN, he also said the US "is the power of Nato. For the US to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend Nato and Nato interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the US." Asked repeatedly whether the US would rule out using force to annex it, Miller responded: "Nobody's going to fight the US over the future of Greenland." Stressing they were as keen as the US in Arctic security, the seven European signatories of Tuesday's joint statement said this must be achieved by Nato allies, including the US "collectively" - whilst "upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders". Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the statement and called for "respectful dialogue". "The dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland's status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity," Nielsen said. Trump has claimed that making Greenland part of the US would serve American security interests due to its strategic location and its abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors. Greenland, which has a population of 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.

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