Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if Iran does not make deal
Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the US and Iran signalling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme fizzle out.
US President Donald Trump said he believes 10 to 15 days is “enough time” for Iran to reach a deal.
But the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider US and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile programme and sever ties to armed groups.
Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations.
Iran’s theocracy is more vulnerable than ever following 12 days of Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites and military last year, as well as mass protests in January that were violently suppressed.
But it is still capable of striking Israel and US bases in the region, and has warned that any attack would trigger a regional war.
Iran earlier this week launched a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.
Tensions are also rising inside Iran, as mourners hold ceremonies honouring slain protesters 40 days after their killing by security forces.
Some gatherings have seen anti-government chants despite threats from authorities.
The movements of additional American warships and airplanes, with the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, do not guarantee a US strike on Iran — but it bolsters Mr Trump’s ability to carry out one should he choose to do so.
He has so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and mass executions, while reengaging in nuclear talks that were disrupted by the war in June.
Iran has agreed to draw up a written proposal to address US concerns raised during this week’s indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, according to a senior US official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The official said top national security officials gathered on Wednesday to discuss Iran, and were briefed that the “full forces” needed to carry out potential military action are expected to be in place by mid-March.
The official did not provide a timeline for when Iran is expected to deliver its written response.
“It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise bad things happen,” Mr Trump said on Thursday.
Later, while answering questions from reporters, Mr Trump said Iran has 10 to 15 days to reach a deal.
“I would think that would be enough time,” he said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his nation’s citizens to immediately leave Iran as “within a few, a dozen, or even a few dozen hours, the possibility of evacuation will be out of the question”.
He did not elaborate, and the Polish Embassy in Tehran did not appear to be drawing down its staff.
The German military said that it had moved “a mid-two digit number of non-mission critical personnel” out of a base in northern Iraq because of the current situation in the region and in line with its partners’ actions.
It said that some troops remain to help keep the multinational camp running in Irbil, where they train Iraqi forces.
Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted the annual drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Footage later released by Iran showed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s naval special forces board a vessel in the exercise.
Those forces are believed to have been used in the past to seize vessels in key international waterways.
Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting it planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.
Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean midday on Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.
It would likely take more than a week for the Ford to be off the coast of Iran.
Israel is making its own preparations for possible Iranian missile strikes in response to any US action.
“We are prepared for any scenario,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, adding that if Iran attacks Israel, “they will experience a response they cannot even imagine”.
Mr Netanyahu, who met with Mr Trump last week, long has pushed for tougher US action against Iran and says any deal should not only end its nuclear programme but curb its missile arsenal and force it to cut ties with militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran has said the current talks should only focus on its nuclear programme, and that it has not been enriching uranium since the US and Israeli strikes last summer.
Mr Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as Tehran has barred international inspectors.
Iran has always insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful.
The US and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.
Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons but has neither confirmed nor denied that.
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