Trump threatens Iran: ‘Choose right now,’ time is running out

President Donald Trump uses address at Saudi summit to warn Iran that it must decide “right now” whether it wants to reach a new nuclear deal with the US – but warns of economic repercussions without mention of military strikes.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News 

President Donald Trump warned Iran on Tuesday that it must commit “right now” to ending its atomic program with new nuclear deal or else face “massive maximum pressure.”

Iran’s nuclear program and its proxy wars across the Middle East featured prominently in Trump’s address at an economic summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, which brought together delegations from Gulf countries, including Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

During his address, Trump reiterated his criticism of the Biden administration, arguing that its decision to soften sanctions on Iran enabled the Islamic Republic to fund terrorist proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah, thus facilitating the invasion of October 7, 2023, and the attacks on northern Israel that began a day later.

“October 7th would’ve never happened if I were president because Iran had no money to pay Hamas or anybody else,” Trump claimed.

“Now, working with the vast majority of people in this region who seek stability and calm, our task is to unify against the few agents of chaos and terror that are left and that are holding hostage the dreams of millions and millions of great people,” he said.

“The biggest and most destructive of these forces is the regime in Iran, which has caused unthinkable suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and beyond.”

Trump emphasized that he wants “to make a deal with Iran” but added that time is running out for Tehran to make a decision, telling its leadership: “Make your move.”

“If I can make a deal with Iran, I’ll be very happy if we’re going to make your region and the world a safer place,” he added.

Should Iran reject his overture or fail to reach a deal with the U.S., Trump threatened to “inflict massive maximum pressure,” but in stark contrast to previous threats, he made no mention of military strikes, adding, “I don’t like war.”

“But if Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero, like I did before,” he continued.

“They were a virtually bankrupt country because of what I did, they had no money for terror, they had no money for Hamas or Hezbollah and take all action required to stop the regime from ever having a nuclear weapon. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

“The choice is theirs to make. We really want them to be a successful country. We want them to be a wonderful, safe, great country, but they cannot have a nuclear weapon. This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose, right now. We don’t have a lot of time to wait.”