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Donald Trump warned Tehran that it had a “maximum” 15 days to reach a deal with the US or “bad things will happen”, as he weighs American military action against the Islamic republic.
The US president made the comments as Washington deployed its biggest military presence in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion, piling pressure on Tehran and foreshadowing a punitive US assault.
“We’re either going to get a deal or it’s going to be unfortunate for them,” Trump said on Thursday as he travelled to the southern state of Georgia. Asked if he had given Iran a deadline, Trump responded: “I would think that would be enough time, 10, 15 days, pretty much maximum.”
Trump’s latest warning came after US and Iranian officials held indirect talks in Geneva this week in search of a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Both sides reported “progress” following the meeting but said they remain far apart on certain issues.
Israel went to war with Iran last June during an earlier round of talks between Washington and Tehran, and the US briefly joined the Israeli attacks.
The growing likelihood of a new and significant US attack on Iran has rattled oil markets, with Brent, the international benchmark, settling up 2 per cent at $71.66 a barrel on Thursday, its highest level in six months. It followed a 4 per cent jump in Brent prices on Wednesday.
Traders are concerned US military action could disrupt oil supplies or prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz — a vital choke point for exports from the Gulf.
The deployments to the Middle East and threat of war have also raised alarm in Congress, where some of Trump’s critics have warned the president must seek approval from lawmakers to launch a new conflict. The White House does not believe this is necessary.
“The American people voted for lower prices, not another war in the Middle East. But Trump is itching to go to war with Iran,” Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, wrote on X. “The constitution is clear: the president doesn’t have the authority to start a war without Congress’ approval.”
Trump has said he likes “flawless” and swift military action, but on Thursday declined to say whether new strikes would be designed to damage Iran’s nuclear programme and military capabilities or topple the regime.
But Washington is amassing enough military assets to sustain a multi-week campaign against the country — in one of the largest US military build-ups globally since George W Bush ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The deployment to the region includes 12 American warships, according to the US Navy, including an aircraft carrier and eight destroyers.
The US’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, and three other destroyers were off the coast of northern Africa en route to the Middle East on Wednesday.
Both aircraft carriers have thousands of troops and dozens of fighter jets on board, along with electronic warfare aircraft, airborne early warning aircraft and command-and-control planes. The US has also deployed additional fighter aircraft and Thaad and Patriot air defences to its bases in the region.
FT analysis of tracking data also shows dozens of military flights from the US towards Europe and the Middle East in the past week, including airborne warning and control aircraft, refuelling tankers and transport planes.
The movements were similar to those made before the US joined Israel’s war with Iran last June and bombed three of the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites.
Trump’s ultimatum aboard Air Force One on Thursday echoed comments he made earlier in Washington as he launched the inaugural meeting of his so-called Board of Peace, which he has cast as a guarantor for Middle East peace to rival the UN.
“They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region, and they must make a deal,” he said, referring to Iran. “Bad things will happen” if they don’t reach a “meaningful” agreement.