Pakistan, April 25 -- Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, has gone on maternity leave as she prepares to welcome her second child, stepping away at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Iran.

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Leavitt's temporary absence comes while Washington remains engaged in a volatile standoff with Tehran, a period during which she had been regularly briefing the media on developments. Despite the timing, her leave reflects standard federal policy, under which US government employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

According to White House officials, no single replacement will take over her role at the podium during th...