US President Donald Trump said on 19 February that he will make a decision on whether or not to launch a military strike against Iran “over the next, probably 10 days.” Mr Trump reiterated that he wants to make a meaningful deal with Iran, but that if talks fail then “bad things happen.”
His comments came during the continued US military buildup in the Middle East, with a second aircraft carrier now on its way to the region (MEES, 13 February). The ten-day warning is eerily reminiscent of last June, when Mr Trump said on 19 June that he would make a decision on whether to join the Israel-Iran conflict within two weeks, before launching airstrikes against Iranian facilities just three days later (MEES, 27 June 2025). (CONTINUED - 197 WORDS)