Trump Gives Iran 10–15 Day Ultimatum to Reach Nuclear Deal
US President Donald Trump has said that 10 to 15 days is sufficient time for him to decide whether to launch strikes against Iran.
According to Trump, this timeframe represents the “maximum limit” he is giving Tehran to reach an agreement on its nuclear programme.
“We will get a deal, or it will be something that is not good for them,” Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One on Thursday (19 February).
Earlier in Washington, Trump had conveyed a similar deadline. “Maybe we’ll make a deal [with Iran]. You’ll know in the next 10 days,” he said during a speech at the inaugural meeting of the controversial Peace Council.
Trump insisted that Iran must not continue to threaten regional stability and must reach a deal promptly. He reiterated that Iran must be prevented from possessing nuclear weapons.
Iran, for its part, has repeatedly stated that its nuclear programme is solely intended for civilian purposes.
Trump also warned that “bad things” would happen if no substantive nuclear deal is reached.
US deploys largest fleet and fighter jets to the Middle East
The United States is sending its largest warship and fighter aircraft contingent to the Middle East in recent decades, amid heightened regional tensions.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with three destroyers, has been stationed in the region since January, carrying approximately 5,700 personnel. Meanwhile, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is heading to the area, escorted by three destroyers and carrying more than 5,000 personnel.
With this deployment, the total US Navy presence in the region has reached 14 vessels, according to the Associated Press.
The US has also moved a number of fighter aircraft, including F-15s, F-16s, and F-22s, to Europe and the Middle East. Washington had previously stationed several F-35 squadrons in the region. In addition, more than 100 aerial refuelling tanker aircraft have reportedly been moved to the area.
Matthew Hoh, a former US Marine captain and State Department official now with the Center for International Policy, assessed that this deployment is not merely symbolic. “I think this is serious, this is not a bluff. This is not for show. This is not sensationalism,” he said. “The kind of force the United States is placing in the Middle East is force that is capable of carrying out the operations that people in Washington, DC want to carry out.”
He emphasised that it is not only aircraft carriers and fighter squadrons that matter, but also specialist aircraft. “We see aircraft carriers, we see destroyers, we see fighter squadrons. But more importantly, you see specialist aircraft,” he said. “Electronic warfare aircraft and command and control aircraft that the US Air Force would only deploy to the region in such numbers if they were truly serious about using them.”
Hoh also warned of the implications for Iran’s nuclear diplomacy. “First and foremost in Iran’s mind is whether they can trust America. Of course, a deal was made with Iran more than a decade ago that limited Iran’s nuclear activities, which was then unilaterally withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018, as well as the history of US-Iran military conflict,” he said. “The last decade of sabotage by the US and Israel, the killing of scientists, cyber attacks against Iran. All of these things must be taken into account and bring Iran to the question of how they can trust America.”
Iran warns it will respond “firmly”
Iran has warned it will respond “firmly” if faced with military aggression. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations stated it would regard the bases, facilities, and assets of “hostile powers” in the region as legitimate targets if attacked.
In the letter, Iran assessed that US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric “signals a real risk of military aggression”. Tehran affirmed it does not seek war, but if targeted by strikes, its military would act “firmly and decisively”.
Amid the tensions, Iran on Thursday (19 February) held its annual joint military exercises with Russia, including live-fire drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz. The IRNA news agency reported the exercises were aimed at “enhancing operational coordination and exchanging military experience”. These waters constitute a vital shipping lane for Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf region. The exercises have been held since 2019, with this year marking the seventh edition.
Whilst the situation has not yet made conflict unavoidable, it indicates escalating tensions in the region. Over the past year, Iran’s theocratic government has faced intense pressure, from a brief conflict with Israel — accompanied by US strikes on a number of nuclear programme targets — to a wave of domestic protests in January that were harshly suppressed by the authorities.
Oil prices rise amid tensions
Oil prices extended their sharp gains from Wednesday (18 February) into Thursday’s trading across Asia, Europe, and the opening of US markets.
Brent crude broke back above US$70 (approximately Rp1.18 million) per barrel for the first time since July last year. By 16:30 GMT/UTC, Brent had reached US$71.57 per barrel, up 1.7% on the day.
Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) strengthened 2% to US$66.37 per barrel at the same time, the highest level in six months for the US oil benchmark.
Since the initial surge in early 2022, several weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine when prices briefly touched around US$120 per barrel (approximately Rp2.03 million), oil prices had been relatively stable and trending gradually downward.
The last time prices were above current levels was during the summer of 2025, in a brief but sharp rally amid the Israel-Iran conflict, when the United States also struck targets linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.