President Donald Trump said Friday he is considering limited military strikes against Iran, even as the country’s foreign minister said Tehran expects to finalize a draft nuclear deal within days. The comments reflect the precarious balance between military pressure and diplomatic negotiations between the longtime adversaries.
Trump told reporters he is “considering” strikes in response to a question about possible U.S. military action, while also warning Iran to “negotiate a fair deal.” Hours earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was planning to complete a draft agreement within “the next two to three days” to send to Washington.
The statements underscore the Trump administration’s twin-track approach to Iran: building up military force while pursuing nuclear negotiations. Both countries have signaled they are prepared for war if talks fail, raising the stakes as the administration pushes for Iranian concessions on its nuclear and missile programs.
Military Buildup as Negotiation Signal
The Trump administration has deployed military force to the region even as it pursues negotiations. The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, sent by Trump from the Caribbean. More warships and aircraft are on the way, the administration said.
The buildup represents the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades. Military deployments of this scale typically serve as both a deterrent and a negotiating signal.
Nuclear Stalemate and Current Disputes
Talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program have stalled since 2018, when Trump withdrew the United States unilaterally from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Under that agreement, Iran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment. Since the withdrawal, Iran has refused to discuss broader U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups. Those disputes have kept the talks deadlocked.
The latest round of negotiations in Geneva this week made little visible progress. Yet Trump said he believes 10 to 15 days is enough time for Iran to reach a deal.
On the Iranian side, Foreign Minister Araghchi said Friday that American counterparts have not asked for zero uranium enrichment as part of the current round of talks. He said the focus is on ensuring Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever.
A White House official disputed that characterization. Trump has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and cannot enrich uranium, the official said.
Both Sides Signal Readiness for War
Both countries have signaled they are prepared for conflict if negotiations fail.
“We are prepared for diplomacy, and we are prepared for negotiation as much as we are prepared for war,” Araghchi said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show.
Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group, said Iran would treat any kinetic action as an existential threat. Vaez said he does not believe Iran’s leaders are bluffing on that point, though they likely believe they could maintain power despite any U.S. airstrikes.
Congressional Pressure on War Powers
Trump’s comments about considering military strikes have drawn pushback from lawmakers who say the president should seek Congress’s approval before launching any military operation.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said Friday that he has filed a war powers resolution that would require that approval. The resolution has no chance of becoming law in part because Trump would have to sign it. But similar resolutions in recent years have shown that some bipartisan consensus exists among senators troubled by the Trump administration’s aggressive foreign policy moves.
“If some of my colleagues support war, then they should have the guts to vote for the war, and to be held accountable by their constituents, rather than hiding under their desks,” Kaine said.