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.”