International Desk : President Donald Trump had been leaning heavily toward taking US military action in Iran for several days when he issued a directive to his senior aides: Tell the press he would make a decision on whether to act within two weeks, as a way to obscure his true thinking.

The president had been frustrated by coverage that suggested he had made a final decision on striking Iranian nuclear sites and he thought a two-week timeline could throw off the Iranians and conceal his plans, according to several sources familiar with what happened.

Trump made the call to issue the statement Thursday as he was set to have lunch with his former adviser Steve Bannon, who had been publicly skeptical of US involvement. Shortly after, his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, walked into the White House briefing room and followed the president’s orders, signaling to the world that Trump’s mind wasn’t made up yet.

While the final call came Saturday as bombers were already in the air, those around Trump believed his mind had been largely made up for days regarding taking action in Iran. Trump had been briefed on attack plans already and was meeting with his senior national security aides in person on a daily basis, in addition to having multiple phone calls throughout the day.

Source: CNN live updates