Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/APDonald Trump has said the next 10 days will decide if the US strikes Iran or agrees a nuclear deal with the Islamic republic, as Washington steps up the deployment of a large military force to the Middle East. Trump said the US assault “totally decimated [Iran’s] nuclear potential”. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPAThe military build-up has continued as the US held two rounds of indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear programme. Trump has been threatening to attack Iran since it brutally cracked down on mass anti-regime protests last month, killing thousands of people. Israel degraded Iran’s military capabilities during that war, but Tehran is thought to have been rebuilding its missile capacity.

Source: The Irish Times February 20, 2026 03:57 UTC