United States President Donald Trump said this Thursday (19), in Washington, that the world will know “in the next 10 days” whether there will be an agreement with Iran or whether the US will be able to move towards military action against the Islamic regime. The statement was made during the first meeting of the Peace Council, at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.
“Maybe we have to take it a step further, or maybe we don’t. Maybe we’ll come to an agreement. You’ll probably find out in the next 10 days,” Trump said. At another point, he reinforced that it is necessary to close a “meaningful agreement” with Tehran or “bad things could happen”.
“We have to make a meaningful agreement, otherwise bad things could happen,” he declared.
Trump said talks with Iranian representatives in recent days had been “very good,” but acknowledged that historically it has not been easy to reach an agreement with the country over its nuclear program. He also highlighted that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
According to the CNN and the The New York Timesthe American government is evaluating military options and the Armed Forces would be prepared for possible action against Tehran if there is no agreement, although the president has not yet made a final decision. Reports indicate that the topic was discussed internally this week.
In recent days, the American government has intensified its military presence in the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in the region since January. The White House also sent the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, the largest in the world, there, which left the Caribbean, where it acted as a deterrent to organized crime. Additionally, according to open intelligence company OSINTDefender, refueling and communications aircraft have been transferred from the US to bases in Europe.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already stated that the military reinforcement aims to protect American forces from a possible Iranian attack and put pressure on Tehran in negotiations. Vice President JD Vance declared, after recent talks, that Iran would not be willing to advance within the “red lines” established by Washington.
Trump on Thursday praised the work of special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who participated in meetings in Switzerland with Iranian representatives.
“They are meeting and have a good relationship with Iranian representatives. Good conversations are being held,” he said.
