Trump delays Iran attack decision as Steve Bannon visits White House

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Jun 19, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

President Donald Trump delayed his decision on whether attack Iran for two weeks following a Thursday sighting of Steve Bannon at the White House. The visit comes amid big divisions in his MAGA movement over U.S. involvement in foreign wars.

“There’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran,” Trump said in a statement issued by the White House, adding “I’ll make my decision to go within the next two weeks.”

The two-week framework for deciding whether to attack Iran marks a significant delay from the urgent timeline of days or hours that advisers and Israeli officials had previously been presenting.

European diplomats are expected to meet with Iranian officials for talks over the weekend but American envoy Steve Witkoff is not expected to attend.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Bannon, a key voice in the far right-wing isolationist wing of Trump’s base, was doing or whether he met face-to-face or one-on-one with the president.

The firebrand podcast host and former White House political adviser has repeatedly warned Trump not to join Israel’s military campaign against Iran.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt urged Americans to “trust in Trump” amid the conflict.

Trump is being lobbied by both supporters and opponents of an attack on Iran.

He initially reacted cautiously to Israel’s massive attack last week, which upended his own efforts to negotiate a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s nuclear program.

But as the attacks have appeared successful, Trump has warmed to the idea of joining the offensive and is considering Israel’s request that the U.S. use giant bunker-buster bombs to destroy Iran’s nuclear facility buried deep in a mountain.

Supporters say the Israeli attacks offer a once-in-a-generation chance to end Iran’s goal of obtaining nuclear weapons.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, has led a chorus of hawkish Republicans calling on Trump to join Israel’s attacks.

Critics, like Bannon and conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, counter that it will drag America into another Middle East quagmire like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We can’t do this again,” Bannon said earlier in the week. “We’d tear the country apart.”

Bannon has so far avoided criticizing Trump and has conceded the MAGA movement will likely back its hero no matter what he decides.

But he lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has suggested the U.S. has a responsibility to join its fight as the leader of the free world.

“Who in the hell are you to lecture the American people?” Bannon said on his podcast late Wednesday. “The American people are not going to tolerate it. Not going to put up with it.”