U.S. President Donald Trump said on February 19 that Iran must make a “meaningful deal” with Washington within the next ten days or “bad things happen,” as he deployed warships, combat aircraft, and other military hardware to the region.
“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 told the inaugural meeting of the “Board of Peace,” his initiative aimed at securing stability in Gaza.
He warned that Washington “may have to take it a step further” if no agreement is reached, adding: “You’re going to be finding out over the next probably ten days.”
Trump’s remarks came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his own warning, saying, “If the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us, they will receive a response they cannot even imagine.”
The comments followed a second round of Omani-mediated talks between the U.S. and Iran, held in Geneva, with Washington seeking to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon—something Iran says it is not pursuing—while Iranian officials are pressing for relief from U.S. sanctions.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on February 18 that there were “many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran,” adding that Tehran “would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump.”
