President Donald Trump has issued a stark ultimatum to Iran, stating that the world will know within the next ten days whether a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff is achievable, or if the United States will be forced to take military action.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of his newly-formed Board of Peace in Washington D.C., Mr. Trump described recent negotiations with the Islamic Republic as “very good” but acknowledged the historic difficulty of reaching a lasting agreement. He warned that without a deal, “otherwise bad things happen.”
“We have some work to do,” the President told the board. “Over the next, probably, 10 days, we’re going to see if we can come to an agreement with Iran… or we may have to take it a step further.”
The President’s comments come amid a significant escalation of US military assets in the Middle East, including the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group. While the White House insists it is pursuing diplomacy, the military build-up underscores the high stakes of the ongoing talks. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated on Monday that a diplomatic solution remains the goal, stating that Tehran would be “very wise” to make a deal.
Progress has been reported in recent negotiations between American and Iranian envoys in Switzerland, led by US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. However, satellite imagery also shows Iran reinforcing its military facilities, and the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued fiery threats on social media, warning that US warships could be sent “to the bottom of the sea.”
The possibility of military action has sparked immediate opposition from a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Citing the 1973 War Powers Act—which allows Congress to check the president’s power to commit the US to armed conflict—Representatives Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, have announced they will attempt to force a vote on the matter next week.
“A war with Iran would be catastrophic,” Khanna posted on social media, highlighting Iran’s sophisticated air defenses and the risk of retaliation against the thousands of US troops stationed in the region.
The resolution faces an uphill battle in Congress. A similar effort to block military action in Venezuela was blocked by Senate Republicans earlier this year.
Meanwhile, a potential US strike is complicated by the stance of a key ally. The BBC understands that the British government has not granted the US permission to use its military bases, such as RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire or the Diego Garcia facility in the Indian Ocean, to support any potential offensive against Iran—bases that were used in previous Middle East operations.
The Board of Peace, initially conceived to help end the war in Gaza and oversee reconstruction, now finds itself at the center of a potential new conflict, with its mandate seemingly expanding to address the broader regional crisis. As the ten-day clock begins to tick, the world watches to see whether diplomacy will prevail or if the region is on the brink of another war.
