Trump appears to set Iran 10-day deadline, deploys vast Middle East force

The US military is stationing a vast array of forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, fighter jets and refuelling tankers, giving President Donald Trump the option for a major attack against Iran as he pressures the country to strike a deal over its nuclear programme.

The deployment is unlike anything the US has done since 2003, when it amassed forces ahead of the invasion of Iraq. It dwarfs the military build-up that Trump ordered off the coast of Venezuela in the weeks before he ousted President Nicolas Maduro.

While the US is not likely to deploy ground troops, the build-up suggests Trump is giving himself discretion to launch a sustained campaign lasting many days, in cooperation with Israel. It would look far different from the overnight strikes the US launched against Iran’s nuclear programme last June.

Trump warned Iran that it must reach a deal or “bad things” would happen and appeared to set a 10-day deadline before the US might take action.

“Maybe we’re going to make a deal,” Trump said in a speech on Thursday morning. “You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”

The open question is whether Iran can possibly satisfy Trump’s demands and whether, by positioning so much military hardware to the region, Trump may feel compelled to use it rather than backing down.