US President Donald Trump has said he will decide whether to join Israel’s strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a “substantial” chance of talks to end the conflict.

Trump’s move to hit the pause button could open up space for diplomacy, after days of fevered questions about whether or not he would order US military action against Tehran.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a message from Trump after what she called “a lot of speculation” about whether the United States would be “directly involved” in the conflict.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in the statement.

Trump has set two-week deadlines that subsequently shifted on a series of other tough topics in the past, including the Russia-Ukraine war – but Leavitt denied he was putting off a decision.

“If there’s a chance for diplomacy the President’s always going to grab it, but he’s not afraid to use strength as well,” Leavitt said.

At the same time Leavitt reinforced the sense of urgency, telling reporters that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in the space of a “couple of weeks”.

“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,” she said.

Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, saying that its programme is for peaceful purposes.