Trump confirms considering "limited military strikes" against Iran; Iranian foreign minister: Will finalize draft agreement with the U.S. within three days
According to CCTV News, on February 20 local time, U.S. President Trump stated before a working breakfast with governors at the White House that he was considering a "preliminary limited military strike" against Iran to force Iran to accept U.S. demands regarding the nuclear agreement.
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That morning, when asked "if Iran does not reach an agreement, are you considering limited military strikes?", Trump responded, "I think I can say, I am considering that." However, he did not give specific details.
On the morning of the 19th, at the first meeting of the so-called "Peace Committee," Trump said whether a U.S.-Iran deal would be reached, "the result will be known within about ten days." Iran must make a "meaningful agreement" with the U.S., otherwise "bad things will happen." Later that day, Trump again said Iran should reach an agreement with the U.S. within 10 to 15 days.
On the 19th, sources revealed that Trump is "considering" a "preliminary limited military strike" against Iran to force it to accept U.S. demands on the nuclear agreement. If the plan is approved, the first round of attacks could happen within the next few days, targeting some military or government facilities; if Iran refuses to stop uranium enrichment, the U.S. will launch large-scale actions against key Iranian government facilities, possibly aiming to "overthrow the regime."
Iranian Foreign Minister: Will finalize the draft agreement with the U.S. within three days
According to CCTV News, on the 20th local time, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi stated that Iran's peaceful nuclear program has no military solution, the only solution is diplomacy.
Araghchi said, there have been previous attempts, including large-scale attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and assassinations of scientists, but they have never succeeded in destroying Iran's nuclear program. This technology was developed by Iran itself, so it is impossible to destroy it by bombing and military action; the only solution is diplomacy. For this reason, the U.S. returned to the negotiating table, seeking to reach an agreement.
He stated that Iran desires peace and is willing to solve issues through negotiation and diplomatic methods, just as Iran is always ready to defend its own security.
Araghchi said Iran and the U.S. had very good negotiations in Geneva, discussing issues related to the nuclear program and U.S. sanctions, and reached consensus on a series of principles or guiding directives and possible agreement formats for negotiations.
He added that Iran decided to draft a potential agreement to facilitate discussion at the next negotiation and to begin talks on the text's content. "This is the path we’re currently facing. I think this is the normal procedure for any international negotiation, and we have agreed to follow it." Araghchi noted that after approval from superiors, the draft agreement will be sent to the U.S. "We will finalize the agreement draft within the next three days."
IDF Spokesperson: Israeli Defense Forces are on high alert
According to CCTV News, Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Devlin stated on the 20th local time that the IDF is at a high state of alert, closely monitoring all directions, and will respond faster than ever to any changes in combat situations.
Furthermore, Devlin said that the Home Front Command has not changed the defense guidelines for the public and urged Israeli citizens to closely follow official updates.
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