By Ginika Igboke
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 12 that Iran must quickly reach a nuclear agreement with the United States or face severe consequences.
“We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the status of negotiations.
“I don’t want that to happen, but we have to make a deal. They should have made a deal the first time, and they got Midnight Hammer instead, and this will be very traumatic for Iran if they don’t make a deal. Look, if they don’t make a deal, then it’ll be a different story.”
When asked about a timeline, Trump said an agreement should come soon. “I guess over the next month, something like that … it should happen quickly,” he said.
Trump also referenced a Feb. 11 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing it as positive. He said Israel understands the situation but emphasized that the final decision ultimately rests with him.
In a Feb. 11 post on Truth Social, Trump said no definitive agreement had been reached between the United States and Israel on Iran policy.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated,” he wrote. “If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”
Trump’s remarks followed comments from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in an interview published Feb. 12 by the Financial Times. Fidan said both Washington and Tehran were showing flexibility on the nuclear issue, adding that the United States appeared willing to tolerate limited Iranian uranium enrichment within defined boundaries.
“It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries,” Fidan said. He added that both sides recognize each other’s limits and that forcing the issue would be counterproductive.
Washington has previously demanded that Iran relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity, which is close to the 90 percent level considered weapons-grade.
Rising Death Toll Amid Protests
Negotiations are unfolding as human rights groups report a sharply rising death toll from protests that shook Iran earlier this year.
The Virginia-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 7,005 people have died since demonstrations began, including 6,506 protestors, 219 children, 214 government-affiliated forces, and 66 others categorized as non-civilian and non-protestors.
HRANA, which relies on sources inside Iran to verify reports, has said its figures are based on confirmed individual cases and may undercount the actual toll. It also reported that approximately 53,166 people have been detained during the unrest. The figures could not be independently verified.
The reported total is more than double the figure provided by Iran’s government. On Jan. 21, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said 3,117 people had been killed.
U.S. State Department reports have previously cited rights groups accusing Tehran of underreporting fatalities during periods of unrest.
The protests were initially sparked by soaring inflation and the collapse of the Iranian rial but later expanded to include calls by some demonstrators for the overthrow of the regime in Tehran, which marked 39 years in power on Feb. 11.
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