U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday set a timeline for deciding whether to continue diplomacy with Iran or order a military strike.
Speaking at the first meeting of the Peace Council he formed in Washington on Thursday, Trump urged Iran to reach an agreement, indicating he could decide within 10 days on the possibility of military action. “Bad things will happen unless they do,” he said.
Trump also issued a threat to Iran, saying, “We may now have to take an additional step, or we may not. Maybe we’ll reach an agreement. You’ll probably know within the next 10 days.”
He referred to U.S. airstrikes carried out in June, saying Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been “destroyed,” adding, “We may have to take another step, or maybe not.”
Senior U.S. national security officials have informed Trump that the military is prepared to carry out potential strikes against Iran starting next Saturday, although the timeline for any military move could extend beyond the end of this week, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News.
Officials who spoke to the network on condition of anonymity confirmed that Trump has not yet made a final decision on launching an attack, as “the White House is weighing the risks of military escalation against the political and military consequences of restraint.”
Senior national security officials in the administration met Wednesday in the White House Situation Room to discuss the situation in Iran. Trump also received a briefing from U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner regarding indirect talks with Iran held in Geneva that lasted three and a half hours without reaching a decisive outcome.
All U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East are expected to be in position by mid-March. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the region, while the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is heading toward the Middle East.
Other vessels are also present in the region, including three littoral combat ships, a guided-missile destroyer in the Red Sea, and two destroyers in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran unless an agreement is reached. The United States and Western countries have questioned the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and have demanded that Tehran completely abandon uranium enrichment.
Washington is also calling on Iran to abandon its ballistic missile program, stop supporting groups across the Middle East, and refrain from using force to suppress domestic protests.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
