In the span of about eight hours, President Donald Trump went from suggesting a nuclear deal with Iran remained “achievable” to urging Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut his visit to the international G7 summit short.

President Donald Trump faced one of the most monumental decisions of his presidency on Tuesday as he debated whether to join a war against Iran that risked sucking Washington into a new Middle Eastern conflict but also offered the chance to eliminate a rival’s nuclear program.