Leavitt says Iran ‘would be very wise’ to make deal as Trump weighs ‘weekend’ military strike

4 min readUpdated: Feb 19, 2026 10:26 AM The rapid buildup of US military forces in the Middle East has reached a point where President Donald Trump could approve strikes against Iran soon. In fact, the strikes could come as early as this weekend, according to adminration and Pentagon officials, reported The New York Times.
The United States has continued moving military equipment and personnel into position that could be used to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballic missile systems, and related launch sites.
Despite the growing military presence, there has been no official confirmation from President Trump about what he plans to do. Officials familiar with the matter say that while US forces are being prepared for possible action, the President has not yet made a final decision.
President Trump has long insed that Iran completely give up uranium enrichment on its own soil, including agreeing not to enrich any additional uranium. In June last year, during a series of talks between the two countries, Trump ordered strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities, a move that completely derailed the negotiations and halted further diplomatic efforts.
Israeli Prime Miner Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House last week, urging the US President to ensure that any deal about Iran’s nuclear programme also include steps to neutralise Iran’s ballic missile programme and end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israeli forces have also been on high alert for weeks and have stepped up preparations amid fears that tensions could turn into open conflict. According to two Israeli defense officials, a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet was moved from Thursday to Sunday, highlighting growing concern within the Israeli government.
‘Diplomacy is always his first option’
Speaking at a White House briefing on Wednesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that although some may argue in favor of military action, diplomacy remains President Trump’s preferred path.Story continues below this ad
“The President has always been very clear, whether it’s Iran or any other country around the world, diplomacy is always his first option,” Leavitt said.
She added that Iran would be “very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this adminration”, signalling that the White House believes there is still time to reach an agreement.
Leavitt also referred to what she described as a “very successful operation in June that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities”, suggesting that the adminration has already shown it is prepared to act if necessary.
Second round of talks in Geneva
In an effort to negotiate, the two countries held a second round of talks in Geneva Tuesday over Tehran’s nuclear programme. After the talks concluded, Iranian Foreign Miner Abbas Araghchi said that both sides agreed to work further on draft texts for a potential agreement, adding that it has reached an understanding with the United States on the “guiding principles”.Story continues below this ad
“Ultimately, we were able to reach broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, based on which we will move forward and begin working on the text of a potential agreement,” Araghchi told state TV.
“It was agreed that both sides would work further on draft texts for a potential agreement, after which the drafts would be exchanged, and a date for a third round would be set,” he added.
President Trump has said he will be “indirectly involved” in the discussions. Calling the negotiations “very important,” he suggested that Iran may now be more willing to negotiate.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” Trump said, adding that Iran understands the consequences of taking a tough position, referring to last summer’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.