Trump says Iran strike could come as early as Sunday, or a deal
US President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of fresh military strikes against Iran as early as Sunday, while keeping a deal on the table, in a weekend of conflicting signals from Washington. No decision on a new strike has been announced.
The sequence began on Friday, when US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack told podcaster Mario Nawfal that a strike this weekend was possible. "Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely," Barrack said, adding that Trump remained open to a deal. Asked about the remarks in Florida, Trump replied: "If that's the case, I don't know anything about it."
Trump's own words
Later on Friday, at a rally in Florida, Trump said the United States might carry out "another little Epic Fury", referring to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran that began in late February. On Saturday, asked by reporters whether Washington was preparing another attack, he answered: "Maybe tomorrow," before adding: "Do you really think I'm going to tell you whether I'll do it?" He said Iran wants a deal but questioned whether Tehran would stick to one, and said his goal was to stop Iran ever developing a nuclear weapon permanently.
Iran has responded by putting its forces on their highest level of combat readiness, according to reports by Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor, with Army Commander Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi warning that negligence under wartime conditions could have grave consequences. The warnings sit awkwardly with earlier indications that major action would not take place before the US midterm elections on 3 November, and with reports that US diplomats and family members have been moved out of posts in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan as a precaution.
