Experts say there are already sufficient US military assets in the Middle East to begin aerial bombing – key US politics stories from Thursday 19 February at a glance
Donald Trump has said it will be clear within “probably 10 days” whether he can reach a nuclear deal with Iran, as the US military buildup in the Middle East intensifies.
The US president, speaking at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington DC, insisted Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and emphasised that “bad things will happen” if the country continued “to threaten regional stability”.
The White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Iranian officials in Geneva to discuss Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme, set back but not eliminated after US and Israeli bombing during the 12-day war last June.
After the diplomatic meeting, Iran promised to respond within two weeks to US demands that it abandon enrichment altogether in return for sanctions relief – roughly consistent with Trump’s mooted timeline.
