WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump hinted repeatedly Feb. 19 that he would decide within 10 to 15 days whether to take action against Iran beyond the current peace talks.
“We may have to take it a step further or we may not,” Trump said at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace. “Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”
During his flight to Georgia later in the day, Trump said he wouldn’t talk about military plans against Iran but he again laid out his timeline.
“I would think that would be enough time, 10, 15 days, pretty much maximum,” Trump said.
Iran responded to Trump’s comments in a letter Feb. 19 to the United Nations U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that said Trump’s comments signal a “real risk of military aggression.” The letter also said Iran doesn’t seek tension and would not initiate a war but would respond decisively and proportionately if attacked.
“All bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets,” said the letter from Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations. “The United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences.”
Russia warned against an “unprecedented escalation of tension” around Iran and urged restraint amid the U.S. military buildup in the region.
Trump’s comments came as he directed a second aircraft-carrier group to the Mediterranean. Officials announced Feb. 13 the Gerald Ford, the newest and the world’s largest carrier, would move from the Caribbean to the Middle East, and that it would take at least a week to arrive.
The Ford will join the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, several guided-missile destroyers, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft that have been moved to the region in recent weeks.
The State Department has warned Americans to leave Iran.
Trump’s threat to use the military carries weight because he ordered the bombing of Iran’s three major nuclear complexes at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan using bunker-busting bombs in June 2025. Previous U.S. leaders had negotiated with Iran to prevent it becoming a nuclear power but Trump was the first to bomb the country.
Since then, the United States has sought to have Iran give up its uranium enrichment, a process to create fuel for atomic power plants but also to provide material for bombs. The U.S. also wants Iran to give up long-range ballistic missiles, stop supporting groups around the Middle East and stop using force against internal protests.
Iran has refused to discuss issues beyond nuclear matters, particularly limiting its missiles.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Feb. 28 with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the Board of Peace, which aims to oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the reconstruction of Gaza, Trump said peace throughout the Middle East depends upon Iran remaining without nuclear weapons.
“We do have some work to do with Iran. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple,” Trump said. “You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon and they’ve been told that very strongly.”
Contributing: Reuters