US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he expects an agreement with Iran to take shape during the next month, warning Tehran that failure to reach a consensus poses major dangers.
Asked by a reporter at the White House about the timeline he envisions for a deal to be ironed out, the US president said, "I guess over the next month, something like that, should happen quickly."
"We have to make a deal, otherwise it's going to be very traumatic, very traumatic. I don't want that to happen, but we have to make a deal. They should have made a deal the first time. They got Midnight Hammer instead, and this will be very traumatic for Iran if they don't make a deal," he said, referring to US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last June.
"We had a very good meeting yesterday with Bibi Netanyahu, and he understands, but it's ultimately up to me. If the deal isn't a very fair deal and a very good deal with Iran, then it's going to be, I think, a very difficult time for them," he added.
Trump said shortly after the meeting concluded that "there was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated."
Asked if Netanyahu wanted Trump to abandon the talks, the president said, "We didn't discuss that. I'll talk to them as long as I like, and we'll see if we can get a deal with them."
The US and Iran held negotiations last Friday in Oman for the first time since the attacks in June, and are expected to hold more rounds of talks at a yet undetermined date. The sit-down marked the end of a roughly eight-month suspension.
Amid the negotiations, the US has significantly increased its military footprint in the region as Trump warns Iran that it must make a deal. Already, the US has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier from the South China Sea.
Iran said the US and Israel fabricate pretexts for military intervention and regime change, warning it would respond to any military attack, even if limited, and insisting on lifting Western economic sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
Uranium enrichment remains a central point of dispute. The US demands Iran halt uranium enrichment and transfer highly enriched uranium out of the country -- a non-starter for Tehran.
Washington has also sought to include Iran's missile program and its support for armed groups in the region in the negotiations, but Tehran has repeatedly said it will not negotiate issues beyond its nuclear program.
