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US President Donald Trump said Thursday he believes 10 to 15 days is “enough time” for Iran to reach a deal, warning of bad things to happen if Tehran does not heed his call.
Trump’s latest threat comes as tensions ramp up and as the second US carrier nears the Mideast.
“It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise, bad things happen,” Trump said Thursday.
And just as Trump ramped up his threats, Iran on Thursday held annual military drills with Russia in a move that signalled both sides are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out.
With indirect talks held in recent weeks making little visible progress so far, analysts believe one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations. Saying that it hasn’t been enriching uranium since the US and Israeli strikes last summer, Iran wants the current talks to only focus on its nuclear program.
Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown, as Tehran has barred international inspectors.
In a letter to the UN Security Council on Thursday, Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, said that while Iran does not seek “tension or war and will not initiate a war,” any US aggression will be responded to “decisively and proportionately.”
“In such circumstances, all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets in the context of Iran’s defensive response,” Iravani said.
Earlier this week, Iran conducted a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.
Growing international concern
Tensions are also rising inside Iran, as mourners hold ceremonies honoring slain protesters 40 days after their killing by security forces. Some gatherings have seen anti-government chants despite threats from authorities.
Trump held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and mass executions in January while reengaging in nuclear talks that were disrupted by the war in June.
Meanwhile, there has been growing concern in Europe about the impending war between both sides and its wider implications for the Middle East.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his nation’s citizens to immediately leave Iran, as “within a few, a dozen, or even a few dozen hours, the possibility of evacuation will be out of the question.” He did not elaborate, and the Polish Embassy in Tehran did not appear to be drawing down its staff.
The German military said that it had moved “a mid-two-digit number of non-mission -criticalpersonnel” out of a base in northern Iraq because of the current situation in the region and in line with its partners’ actions. It said that some troops remain to help keep the multinational camp running in Irbil, where they train Iraqi forces.
“This week, another 50 US combat aircraft —F-35s,F-22s, and F-16s—were ordered to the region, supplementing the hundreds deployed to bases in the Arab Gulf states,” the New York-based Soufan Center think tank wrote. “The deployments reinforce Trump’s threat — restated on a nearly daily basis — to proceed with a major air and missile campaign on the regime if talks fail.”
Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. The US and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.