Iran latest: Trump warns US faces ‘big decision’ over strikes as Middle East crisis worsens

US president Donald Trump said yesterday that he’s “not happy” with the latest talks over Iran’s nuclear program but indicated he would give negotiators more time to reach a deal to avert another war in the Middle East.

He spoke a day after US envoys held another inconclusive round of indirect talks with Iran in Geneva.

As American forces gather in the region, Trump has threatened military action if Iran does not agree to a far-reaching deal on its nuclear program, while Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and denies seeking a nuclear weapon.

“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens. We’re talking later,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday.

US president told a crowd in Corpus Christi, Texas, that he would rather handle Tehran “the peaceful way”, saying he laid out his terms for an agreement with the country to the Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn as they flew together on Air Force One on Friday.

Trump said (if) Iran wants to make a deal, it has to be “meaningful” in stopping the possibility of the country developing enough enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.

He called it “a very big decision”, as he criticised Iran for human rights abuses.

Last June, the US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran.

The Trump administration claimed at the time that Iran’s nuclear programme was “obliterated.”

But during his State of the Union address earlier this week, US President Donald Trump warned about Iran pursuing its nuclear programme and said Tehran was “working on missiles that will soon reach” the US.

Read more about the US strikes on Iran over the summer:

The odds that the US strikes Iran over the weekend are slim, according to Polymarket, which calls itself the world’s largest prediction market.

There is just a 19 percent chance that the US will launch a military attack on Iran by Saturday, according to Polymarket. There is a 79 percent chance of the strikes happening by the end of the year on Polymarket.

People in Iran have continued to protest against the government as the US threatens military strikes against Tehran over its nuclear programme.

University students in Iran are holding protests calling for the government to be overthrown, The New York Times reported.

The new wave of anti-government demonstrations, which started last Saturday, comes after thousands were killed in Iran’s crackdown on protesters last month, per the NYT.

US president Trump said on Friday: “I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. I’m not thrilled with that.

“We’ll see what happens. We’re talking later. We’ll have some additional talks today.”

When questioned over if he has decided to attack Iran, Trump responded: “Well, we haven’t made a final decision. We’re not exactly happy with the way they negotiated. Again. They cannot have nuclear weapons. We’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating.”

Several governments have issued similar warnings in recent days.

Poland’s foreign ministry has also called on citizens to immediately evacuate Iran, Israel and Lebanon, due to the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The Italian’ foreign ministry on Friday advised extreme caution across the Middle East citing escalating tensions and unstable security conditions.

Britain said on Friday it had temporarily withdrawn its staff from Iran and closed its embassy amid rising regional tensions.

The United States has built up a large military presence across the Middle East ahead of a possible strike on Iran, as talks between the two countries over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions continue with no sign of a breakthrough.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has said that some of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium, close to weapons grade, was stored in an underground area of its nuclear site in Isfahan.

The information was shared in a confidential report sent to member states on Friday and seen by Reuters.

It is the first time the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported where uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the 90% of weapons grade, has been stored.

The tunnel complex’s entrance was hit in U.S. and Israeli military strikes in June but the facility seems largely unharmed, diplomats say.