"They must make a deal...or bad things will happen": Trump on Iran conflict at Board of Peace event

Washington DC [US], February 20 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a warning to Iran, saying it "must make a deal" and stop threatening regional stability, while indicating that the upcoming "10 days" would be crucial in determining the next course of action.
Speaking at the Board of Peace event, Trump said, "Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we're doing. And if they join us, that'll be great. If they don't join us, that'll be great, too. But it'll be a very different path."
He stressed that Tehran could not continue destabilising the region."They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region. And they must make a deal. Or if that doesn't happen, bad things will happen if it doesn't," the US President said.
Trump suggested that Washington's approach towards Iran could escalate if negotiations fail.
"Now we may have to take it a step further, or we may not. Maybe we're going to make a deal. You're going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days," he said, signalling that developments could unfold in the near term.
Addressing the media, Leavitt said on Wednesday (local time) that the Board of Peace meeting will focus on maintaining security in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "Tomorrow, Trump will host the Board of Peace meeting at 3 pm at the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace. He will announce that member states have pledged USD 5 billion towards Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and have also committed thousands of personnel for the International Stabilisation Force and local police to maintain security and peace for Gazans."
"The President will open the meeting with his remarks and will be formally chairing the meeting... How we can maintain security will be part of the discussion tomorrow, and how we can achieve security to get prosperity," she added.
When asked about the decision on funding of the board, she said, "It will be the Board of Peace (which will make decisions), of which the President is the chairman. All member parties will vote on funding, and then there is a technocratic layer under the Board of Peace."
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that member states of the newly formed Board of Peace have pledged over USD 5 billion towards humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump said, "On February 19, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace Members at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, where we will announce that Member States have pledged more than USD 5 BILLION DOLLARS toward the Gaza Humanitarian and Reconstruction efforts."
He added that member states have committed "thousands of personnel to the International Stabilisation Force and local police to maintain security and peace for Gazans" and stressed that "Hamas must uphold its commitment to full and immediate demilitarisation."
The Board of Peace, launched by Trump in Davos in January, was initially designed to oversee Gaza's post-war transition under a broader peace framework. However, its expanded mandate to promote "global peace" and elements of its charter, including provisions allowing Trump to serve indefinitely as chairman, have raised legal and political concerns in several EU capitals. (ANI)