Trump Sets Countdown for Iran Deal Amid Fears of Military Strike

US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday that it must conclude a deal over its nuclear program or “really bad things” will happen. Trump has given a deadline of 10–15 days for making a deal, following rumours of a military attack by Washington against Tehran this weekend.

The US has scaled up its military build-up in West Asia, which has triggered fears of a full-fledged attack that could destabilise the region. Trump stated that negotiations with Tehran are ongoing but demanded a “meaningful” agreement.

“Otherwise, bad things happen,” Trump said. “You’ll be finding out over the next probably 10 days. I would think that would be enough time — 10, 15 days, pretty much maximum.”

According to reports, in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Iran said that it would not start a war but would retaliate and exercise its right of self-defence “in the event that it is subjected to military aggression” and “will respond decisively and proportionately.”

A Russian corvette warship on Thursday joined planned Iranian naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer blocked Donald Trump from using RAF bases to carry out strikes on Iran. As per a report by The Telegraph, Trump was believed to have withdrawn his support for Starmer’s Chagos Islands agreement following the UK’s refusal to grant consent for the use of British military bases to launch bombing operations.

The recent military build-up in West Asia by the US would be the largest in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The US had reportedly started drawing up contingency plans for a direct attack on Iran, deploying long-range bombers and aerial refuelling aircraft to West Asia.

“Should Iran decide not to make a deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia and the airfield located in Fairford in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands does not require any specific approval to operate from. However, the US must seek the consent of the UK government before using RAF bases for military operations.

On Tuesday, Iranian and US negotiators met, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said they had agreed on “guiding principles.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that there are still some critical issues which the two sides need to come to terms with. Trump stated that “good talks are being had” and urged Iran to join the US on the “path to peace.”

“They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple,” he said. “You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon.”