US President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Iran to make a “meaningful deal” with Washington, failing which will attract “bad things” on the Middle Eastern country.
“It’s proven to be over the years not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran. We have to make a meaningful deal otherwise bad things happen,” Trump said. The US President was speaking at the inaugural meeting of the “Board of Peace”, which has been formed by Trump to secure stability in Gaza and beyond.
Trump also made it clear that the negotiations with the US must happen in the next 10 days or Washington “may have to take it a step further”. Without elaborating on the US response, he said, “You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”
He said that a peace in the Middle East is not possible until Iran possesses nuclear weapons.
“They can’t have nuclear weapons. They can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have nuclear weapons. They have been told that very strongly,” the US President said.
US deploy fighter jets, warships in the region
The warning from the White House comes even as the US has moved its advanced F-35 and F-22 jet fighters toward the Middle East, according to The Wall Street Journal report. US has also deployed some of its largest aircraft carrier and warships in the Middle East amid soaring tensions.
While the US carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, was already stationed near the Iran’s coast, a second aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, was also dispatched to the region.
An Axios report has warned that a war between the US and Iran is ‘imminent’ and can go on ‘for weeks’. The report, quoting US officials and advisers, suggested that military action against Iran could begin sooner rather than later.
The warning and soaring tensions come even as the two countries held a second round of talks, mediated by Oman, in Geneva. While the US is seeking to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, which Iran claims it’s not pursuing, Iran is seeking relief from US sanctions.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also issued warning to Iran saying, “If the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us, they will receive a response they cannot even imagine”.
