Trump: Clarity on Iran Deal Within 10 Days
Istanbul/Washington DC — US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it would soon become clear whether a deal with Iran is possible, warning that Washington may be forced to increase pressure if negotiations fail.
“We may have to go further, or we may not,” he said at the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council in Washington, adding that the situation would likely become clearer “in the next 10 days.”
Trump said his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had built a solid working relationship with Iranian representatives and that talks were progressing well.
“Iran is a volatile area right now, and they are meeting, and they have good relations with the Iranian representatives. Good talks are ongoing,” he said.
Trump was firm on one condition: Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons.
“They cannot have nuclear weapons. It’s very simple. You cannot have peace in the Middle East if they have nuclear weapons,” he said.
US Vice President JD Vance described the talks in Geneva on Tuesday as productive “in some respects,” but said Iran was “not yet willing” to discuss Trump’s key terms. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the atmosphere as “more constructive.”
Trump acknowledged that reaching a “meaningful deal” with Tehran had historically proved difficult.
“It has been proven, over the years, that it is not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran. We have to make a meaningful deal. If not, bad things will happen,” he said.
He urged Tehran to seize the moment. “Now is the time for Iran to join us on the path that will complete what we are doing,” Trump said.
“If they join us, that would be great. If they don’t join us, that would also be fine, but it would be a very different path,” he said.
The President said Iran “cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region” and must reach a deal.
Trump also praised last June’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as triggering a moment of relative calm in the region, saying the B-2 bomber strikes had “completely destroyed” Iran’s nuclear potential.
He argued that the elimination of that threat was the decisive factor in bringing about what he described as peace in the Middle East, calling it “the most important thing of all.”
The remarks came as Washington has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford also en route, along with additional fighter jets.