Trump gives Iran 'maximum two weeks' as EU rushes to mediate

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible U.S. air strikes, indicating he could make a decision before the fortnight deadline he set a day earlier.

Trump said he was not inclined to stop Israel from attacking Iran because Israel was "winning."

"I'm giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum," Trump told reporters when asked if he could decide to strike Iran before that.

His comments came after Iran held its first face-to-face talks with European powers on Friday since the outbreak of the conflict. The talks lasted about three and a half hours but yielded few signs of progress. Trump dismissed European efforts to mediate, saying, "Europe is not going to be able to help in this."

Trump had said in a statement on Thursday that he would make his decision "whether or not to go within the next two weeks" because there was a "substantial chance of negotiations" with Iran.

Trump's comments had been widely seen as opening a two-week window for negotiations to end the Israel-Iran conflict. But his latest remarks indicated he could still strike Iran if he feels there has been no progress towards dismantling Iran's nuclear program.

EU rushes to mediate

European countries are rushing to mediate the conflict. On Friday, European powers – Britain, France, Germany and the EU – held talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in Geneva.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the European powers said they urged Iran to re-engage in talks with all relevant parties, especially the United States, and that Iran was, in principle, prepared to continue discussions on all key issues.

Araghchi said that Iran supports continued consultations with the E3 and the EU, and is prepared to make further efforts to promote peace in the near future. But he added that Tehran would not resume negotiations with the U.S. until Israel stopped its attacks – a condition Trump rejected, stating that he believed Israel is winning the conflict.

"It's very hard to make that request right now," Trump said. "If somebody's winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody's losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens."

Israel, Iran trade fires

As the world speculates on Trump's plans, Israel and Iran kept trading fire.

On Friday, Iran launched the 17th wave of its retaliatory campaign, striking Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Beersheba with long-range missiles and targeting Israeli military and media infrastructure. Loud explosions were reported in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Israel's national ambulance service reported at least 27 injuries, including several in serious condition, following a strike in Haifa. Meanwhile, the fire department cited significant damage in central Israel.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that this wave of attack involved a coordinated barrage of long-range and very heavy missiles. The Iranian news outlet Nour News reported that the IRGC specifically struck Channel 14's field broadcast headquarters in Haifa using Sejil-3 missiles.

Israeli military officials said on Friday night that about 15 Israeli Air Force fighter jets launched a new round of air strikes against western Iran, targeting Iranian ballistic missile storage and launch positions. Israeli sources reported that dozens of Iranian missile launch positions were attacked.

International reactions

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that the expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could "ignite a fire no one can control" and called on both sides and potential parties to the conflict to "give peace a chance." At the UN Security Council meeting, representatives from Israel and Iran traded angry accusations, with Israel vowing not to stop its attacks.

At the same meeting, Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned of a nuclear catastrophe if Israel strikes Iran's southern nuclear facility in Bushehr. The Bushehr reactor is the Middle East's first civilian nuclear plant and contains thousands of kilograms of nuclear material.

Grossi warned that a strike disabling its power lines could trigger a meltdown of the reactor's core, potentially causing a major radioactive release. In worst-case scenarios, he said, protective actions such as evacuation, sheltering, or the use of stable iodine could be required, with impacts potentially reaching several hundred kilometers.

China's UN envoy Fu Cong on Friday urged an immediate ceasefire, warning that further escalation would harm both sides and destabilize the region. He called on the international community to push for dialogue and prevent the conflict from spiraling out of control. He also stressed the need to protect civilians.

Foreign ministers from 21 Arab and Islamic nations also called for a ceasefire, the resumption of talks on the Iranian nuclear issue, and the maintenance of lasting peace in the region. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein stressed the need for a united Arab stance and closer coordination with Europe and the U.S.

(With input from agencies)