US President Donald Trump said Friday he is considering a “limited” military strike against Iran to pressure it into reaching an agreement with the United States on its nuclear program.
Answering a question during a working breakfast with state governors at the White House about whether he was considering a limited military strike to pressure Iran into an agreement, Trump said, “I think I can say I am considering it.”
This came a day after the US president, in a speech at the opening of the first meeting of the Peace Council, expressed his belief that a period of 10 to 15 days would be “sufficient time” for Tehran to reach an agreement with Washington.
In his speech yesterday, Trump emphasized that comprehensive peace in the Middle East is impossible unless Iran abandons its ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons.
Trump said, “It is time for Iran to join us in achieving peace in the region,” adding, “We have peace in the Middle East, and we are striving for a region free from extremism and terrorism.”
He also stressed that Iran cannot “continue to threaten the entire region,” warning the Iranian leadership of “bad” consequences if a “good agreement” is not reached regarding its nuclear program.
He continued, “We are having good talks now. It has been proven over the years that it is not easy to reach a productive agreement with Iran. We must reach a good agreement; otherwise bad things will happen.”
The Swiss city of Geneva hosted a second round of US-Iranian talks on Tehran’s nuclear program last Tuesday, mediated by Oman, following the first round held in Muscat on February 6.
The talks included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his Omani counterpart, Badr alBusaidi, as well as US President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Wittkopf, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
US Vice President J.D. Vance said after the Geneva talks concluded that “things went well in some aspects, as both sides agreed to meet again later,” adding that “President Trump has drawn some red lines that the Iranian negotiators are unwilling to acknowledge and work to cross.”
In an interview with Fox News, J.D. Vance stated, “We will continue working on this, but of course, President Trump retains the right to determine when he believes diplomacy has reached its natural conclusion,” expressing his hope that negotiations with Iran would not reach a dead end.
For its part, Tehran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, confirmed “good” progress in the Geneva negotiations compared to the first round of indirect talks held in Muscat.
–KUNA
