Trump Warns of "Bad Things" if No Deal Is Reached with Iran

In Peace Committee speech, Trump again pressures Iran
"We may take one step further... you will know within ten days"

Yonhap News Agency

U.S. President Donald Trump on the 19th (local time) pressed for an agreement in nuclear negotiations with Iran, warning that if there is no deal, "bad things" will happen.

In a speech at the first board meeting of the peace committee he leads, held that day at the "Donald Trump Peace Institute" in Washington, D.C., President Trump referred to the ongoing nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iranian delegations and said that "good conversations are taking place."

He went on to say, "It has been proven over the past several years that it is not easy to reach a meaningful agreement with Iran, but we must reach a meaningful agreement. Otherwise, bad things will happen."

President Trump also mentioned the surprise strike in June last year on Iran's nuclear facilities using the United States' most advanced military weapons. He said, "Now we may have to take one step further, or we may not," adding, "We will probably reach an agreement. You will probably know the result within the next ten days."

This is interpreted as hinting that the scope of targets could be expanded compared with the U.S. military's strike against Iran in June last year.

President Trump further stressed, "Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. It is very simple," and added, "If they possess nuclear weapons, the Middle East cannot have peace."

Meanwhile, even as the United States is currently engaged in nuclear negotiations with Iran, it is pressuring Iran by deploying massive military forces, including aircraft carrier strike groups, to the Middle East. On the previous day, the U.S. assembled in the Middle East its largest military force since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As a result, reports that an immediate attack on Iran is possible as early as this weekend have continued, pushing tensions to the extreme.