By Elsie Kamsiyochi
President Donald Trump has said the world will know within the next 10 days whether the United States reaches a diplomatic agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme or moves toward military action, escalating global attention on an already volatile standoff.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of his newly formed Board of Peace in Washington, Trump struck a cautiously optimistic tone while underscoring the gravity of the moment. He said talks with Tehran had been “very good,” but warned that negotiations with Iran have historically been fraught and unpredictable.
“We have some work to do,” Trump told the gathering, referring to efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “And if we can’t get there, we may have to take it a step further.”
His comments come amid a rapid buildup of U.S. military forces in the Middle East, alongside reports of progress in indirect talks between American and Iranian negotiators held in Switzerland. The combination of diplomatic engagement and military escalation has heightened concerns among allies and lawmakers about the risk of a broader conflict.
Trump revealed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is also his son-in-law, had held what he described as “very good meetings” with Iranian representatives. Still, he acknowledged the long history of failed or fragile agreements with Tehran.
“It’s proven over the years not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran,” Trump said. “Otherwise, bad things happen.”
A day earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that Iran would be “very wise” to strike an agreement, emphasizing that Trump continued to favor a diplomatic solution despite the growing military pressure.
The Board of Peace, initially announced as a mechanism to help end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee post-war reconstruction, now appears to have a broader mandate.
Made up of representatives from about two dozen countries and chaired by Trump himself, the body has prompted speculation that it could sideline the United Nations in future conflict resolution efforts.
Meanwhile, the military dimension of the standoff continues to sharpen. U.S. forces struck three Iranian nuclear facilities in July last year, and reports suggest the White House has been reviewing additional attack options this week.
American troop levels and hardware in the region have increased in recent weeks, including the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
Satellite imagery has shown Iran reinforcing military sites, while Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has issued defiant warnings on social media.
“The U.S. President constantly says that the U.S. has sent a warship toward Iran,” one post attributed to Khamenei read. “A warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. But more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
At home, Trump faces resistance from lawmakers in both parties. Several Democrats and Republicans have voiced strong opposition to any military action against Iran without explicit congressional approval.
Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie have said they will seek to force a vote next week under the 1973 War Powers Act, which limits the president’s ability to commit U.S. forces to armed conflict without Congress’s consent.
“A war with Iran would be catastrophic,” Khanna wrote on social media, warning that Iran’s population of roughly 90 million people, coupled with significant air defenses and military capabilities, would make any conflict prolonged and deadly.
He added that thousands of U.S. troops stationed in the region could face retaliatory attacks.
Despite these concerns, the chances of such a resolution passing both chambers of Congress remain slim.
In January, Senate Republicans blocked a similar war powers measure aimed at restricting military action against Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
As Trump’s self-imposed 10-day deadline approaches, the world is watching closely. Whether the outcome is a renewed nuclear agreement or a dangerous escalation, the decision is likely to have far-reaching consequences for regional stability, global security, and U.S. foreign policy.
Source: BBC
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