Trump says two weeks is ‘maximum’ for Iran decision

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran has a “maximum” of two weeks to avoid possible US airstrikes. He warned that he might not even wait that long to make a decision.

“I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,” Trump told reporters.

He explained that his goal was to “see whether or not people come to their senses.”

Trump had earlier mentioned that he would “make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks” because there was still a “substantial chance of negotiations” with Iran. This had given hope for peace talks, and European countries quickly tried to hold talks with Tehran.

But on Friday, Trump suggested he could strike sooner if Iran doesn’t make progress in ending its nuclear program.

Trump was not impressed by the efforts of European countries like Britain, France, and Germany. They had held a meeting with Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva, but Trump didn’t think it was useful.

“They didn’t help,” he said, while arriving in Morristown, New Jersey, before a fundraising dinner.

“Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this.”

After the meeting in Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made it clear that Iran would not restart talks with the US unless Israel ends its attacks.

Trump, however, was not ready to agree to that condition. “It’s very hard to make that request right now,” he said.

“If somebody’s winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody’s losing, but we’re ready, willing and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens.”

Trump repeated his belief that Iran is just weeks away from building a nuclear bomb, even though members of his own administration disagree.

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, had reported in March that Iran was not close to having enough enriched uranium to make a weapon.

But Trump disagreed strongly. “She’s wrong,” Trump said. Iran continues to say that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

Since June 13, Israel has launched major attacks on Iranian nuclear and military sites. These strikes have also hit residential areas.

In response, Iran fired back with over 450 missiles and about 400 drones, according to Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate. At least 25 people have been killed in Israel, with 19 injured in Haifa, including one person in serious condition.

On the other hand, Iran says Israeli strikes have killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, scientists, and civilians. That number hasn’t been updated in recent days.

However, a US-based group, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, gave a much higher death toll on Friday. It reported that at least 657 people have been killed in Iran, including 263 civilians, based on media reports and its own sources.

Read More: Iran, Israel launch new strikes after Tehran rules out nuclear talks