In a dramatic declaration, Donald Trump cautioned that the United States might resort to bombing Iran if a significant peace agreement isn’t reached within the next ten days. This stark warning was issued during Trump’s inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington on Thursday. Despite lamenting the financial burden of war, he boasted about his efforts to bring ‘peace to the Middle East.’ However, shortly after, he issued a stark warning that without a substantial peace deal, ‘bad things will happen.’ He noted that the outcome of the nuclear discussions with Iran could lead to either a deal or escalation, with a decision expected in the coming days.

Previously, Trump had ordered military strikes on Iran during the summer. Back on June 19, the White House provided a two-week period for the president to decide whether to pursue diplomatic discussions or to take military action. Just three days later, he launched Operation Midnight Hammer, which saw the U.S. Air Force and Navy strike three Iranian nuclear facilities. Despite expressing a desire to be known as the president who ends wars, the establishment of this new peace board comes amidst a significant increase in U.S. military presence in the Middle East over recent weeks.

This military buildup included the deployment of aircraft carriers, fighter jets, submarines, and other assets to the region. The nuclear negotiations with Iran reached a standstill following recent talks in Geneva, Switzerland, where Iran requested more time without achieving any substantial progress. Reports suggest that potential targets for U.S. action in Iran include its nuclear facilities, ballistic missile sites, and military bases. Trump acknowledged, ‘Iran is a hot spot right now,’ but mentioned, ‘Good talks are being had.’ He emphasized the difficulty of securing a meaningful agreement with Iran, stating, ‘We have to make a meaningful deal, otherwise bad things happen.’

The president touted his push to stop conflicts in establishing the Board of Peace and bragged again about ending eight wars during his time in office despite reports before his remarks claiming he could strike Iran ‘as soon as this weekend.’ ‘An easy word to say but a hard word to produce – peace,’ Trump said at the top of his remarks at the inaugural meeting with nearly 50 world leaders attending in-person or virtually. He went on to say that the US and other countries represented on the board are ‘very generous with money’ to bring peace between nations and end ongoing conflicts. ‘There’s nothing less expensive than peace,’ Trump said. ‘You know, when you go to war, it costs you 100 times what it costs to make peace.’ ‘A lot of people in this room hate each other – you know, sort of natural, I guess,’ the president went on. ‘But we’re bringing love back into the room like the old days.’

Trump brought to the meeting Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Kushner, an advisor to the president, is serving as the special member of Trump’s board of peace for the US. The president posed with his delegation and the other nations’ representatives for a family photo ahead of his remarks. Trump insisted that the goal of his ‘world peace’ initiative is not to get prizes – a clear reference to his snub for the Nobel Peace Prize this year. ‘I don’t care about the Nobel prize, I care about saving lives,’ Trump insisted.

‘I only have one thing – I don’t want to see people killed,’ he went on. ‘And if I have the ability to turn off wars, I want to use that ability.’ The president reiterated: ‘I want to save lives, and I don’t care about prizes.’ Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado pulled herself out of hiding to accept the award in Oslo. But she later secured a meeting with Trump where she gave him the physical medal to display in the White House.