US President Donald Trump says he has given Iran a deadline to make a deal, as Washington moves significant military assets to the region ahead of a potential strike on the Islamic Republic.
Asked by reporters in the Oval Office if he’s given a deadline to Iran before a potential strike, Trump confirms that he has communicated one directly to Tehran, adding, “Only they know for sure.”
He doesn’t reveal the timing of that deadline.
Asked if there’s a timeline for when the US forces in the region might pull back, Trump is noncommittal. “They have to float someplace. They might as well float near Iran.”
He reiterates his “appreciation” over the regime’s purported calling off of over 800 executions of anti-government protesters — something Tehran has not confirmed it was planning to do.
Trump had threatened to strike the regime if it killed protesters, something it is widely reported to have done to the tune of thousands.
“We have a large armada flotilla heading toward Iran right now,” Trump reiterates.
“Hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump says.
The US has said a deal with Iran will have to include a ban on uranium enrichment in Iran, the removal of already-enriched uranium from Iran, a cap on Iran’s stockpile of long-range missiles and a rollback of Iran’s support for proxies in the region — all terms that Tehran has said it will not accept.
