By Isabella Torregiani
3:20pm PDT, Jun 21, 2025
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President
Donald Trump is reportedly hesitant to authorize airstrikes against Iran, with sources telling the
New York Post he fears the operation could turn into "another Libya" if Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei is overthrown.
Insiders say Trump is delaying his decision for up to two weeks while weighing the risks and potential fallout.
Keep reading for more on the president's worries…MORE:
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On Friday, June 20, The Post reported that President Donald Trump is stalling on whether to join Israel's attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program.
"He doesn't want it to turn into Libya," one source said.
"Libya was a much more extended kind of bombing commitment, and it ended up being regime change," a second source said. "If the regime falls [in Iran], then it's not on Trump, because that's not the goal of his very limited strike."
The second insider expressed concern about what could follow, stressing, "We [could] get somebody worse than [Ali] Khamenei."
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Prior to the report, on Thursday, June 19, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that President Donald Trump is carefully considering his options whether to join Israeli strikes, citing the high probability for negotiations with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet with U.K., French, German and EU officials in Geneva on Friday, June 20, to talk over the situation.
While Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, won't be in attendance, Leavitt said he's still maintaining direct communication with Iran.
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"As far as President Donald Trump goes, he's not going to get in the business of who runs Iran, that's very salable to his base," one source said.
Even if the U.S. successfully targets Iran's nuclear facilities with bunker busters, officials remain concerned about "dealing with Iran's response," including potential retaliation.
"He'd rather have a deal," the insider further told The Post.
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As President Donald Trump weighs his next move, Karoline Leavitt confirmed that he remains open to negotiations.
"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," she said, reading a statement from the president.
Regarding regime change, Leavitt clarified, "The president's top priority right now is to ensure that Iran cannot attain a nuclear weapon and providing peace and stability to the Middle East."
