President Donald Trump pressed Iran to end its nuclear program on Thursday, vaguely warnings of consequences if a “meaningful [nuclear] deal” can’t be reached.
Speaking in Washington, D.C., during the first meeting of the international 40-member Board of Peace, Trump called Iran “a hot spot” and praised diplomatic efforts from special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner.
“Good talks are being had. It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran,” Trump said. “We have to make a meaningful deal, otherwise, bad things happen, but we have to make a meaningful deal.”
Trump did not rule out military action against Iran if a deal was not reached.
“We may have to take it a step further, or we may not, maybe we’re going to make a deal,” he said. “They can’t have nuclear weapons… You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon.”
The president’s comments at the Board of Peace meeting run in tandem with a large buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East. A strike on Iran could come as soon as this weekend, CNN reports, though Trump remains undecided on whether or not to authorize military action.
“He is spending a lot of time thinking about this,” one White House source told the outlet.
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Opposition to continued strikes in Iran has found bipartisan support in Congress. Representatives Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are looking to force a vote on a war powers resolution. Khanna warned that “war with Iran would be catastrophic.”
“Trump officials say there’s a 90% chance of strikes on Iran. He can’t without Congress,” Khanna wrote in a post to X on Wednesday.
Trump officials say there's a 90% chance of strikes on Iran. He can’t without Congress. @RepThomasMassie & I have a War Powers Resolution to debate & vote on war before putting U.S. troops in harm’s way. I will make a motion to discharge to force a vote on it next week. https://t.co/FWQ245D6B8
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) February 18, 2026
