Donald Trump has warned Iran that it must reach an agreement with the US on the country’s nuclear program, setting a 10-day window for progress.
In recent days, Trump has suggested he could be prepared to launch strikes, while American military assets have been moving into position across the region.
A strike group centered on the USS Abraham Lincoln is already operating nearby, and a second carrier group led by the USS Gerald Ford is also enroute.
Speaking about the standoff, Trump said Iran has 10 days to come to terms with Washington, adding that the country needs to make a deal “otherwise bad things happen.”
Not long after making the remarks, he also claimed he is bringing “peace to the Middle East”.
He pointed to earlier US action in June and said the next steps could go in different directions.
“We may have to take it a step further, or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal.
“You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”
Meanwhile, Iran has been conducting naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman, a key corridor for global energy shipments.
In recent posts online, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shared an AI-generated image depicting the USS Abraham Lincoln beside a gravestone.
“More dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
Iran’s nuclear program has been a long-running source of tension, with the US arguing it must be prevented from gaining the capability to build a nuclear weapon.
Iran has consistently maintained the project is for civilian energy purposes and has formally denied seeking nuclear weapons.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the situation could have been resolved through diplomacy, while still signaling he would consider further military action.
“We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s [US stealth bombers] in to knock out their nuclear potential.”
“And we had to send the B-2s.”
He has also stressed that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, urging Tehran to move toward what he described as a peaceful route.
“They can’t have a nuclear weapon, it’s very simple. You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon.”