Trump warns he is considering limited strikes as Iranian diplomat says proposed deal is imminent

President Donald Trump warned on Friday (February 20, 2026) that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as the country’s top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days following nuclear talks with the United States.

In response to a reporter’s question on whether the U.S. could take limited military action as the countries negotiate, Mr. Trump said, “I guess I can say I am considering that.” Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a TV interview that his country was planning to finalise a draft deal in “the next two to three days” to send to Washington.

“I don’t think it takes long, perhaps, in a matter of a week or so, we can start real, serious negotiations on the text and come to a conclusion,” Mr. Araghchi said on MSNOW’s “Morning Joe” show.

The tensions between the longtime adversaries have ramped up as the Trump administration pushes for concessions from Iran and has built up the largest U.S. military presence in the West Asia in decades, with more warships and aircraft on the way. Both countries have signalled that they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme fizzle out.

“We are prepared for war, and we are prepared for peace,” Mr. Araghchi said on Friday (February 20, 2026).

Iran-U.S. talk

Mr. Trump said a day earlier that he believes 10 to 15 days is “enough time” for Iran to reach a deal following recent rounds of indirect negotiations, including this week in Geneva, that made little visible progress. But the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

Mr. Araghchi also said on Friday that his American counterparts have not asked for zero enrichment of uranium as part of the latest round of talks, which is in contradiction to what U.S. officials have said.

“What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran’s nuclear programme, including enrichment, is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever,” he said.

He added that in return Iran will implement some confidence-building measures in exchange for relief on economic sanctions.

In response to Mr. Araghchi’s claim, a White House official said Mr. Trump has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. The official wasn’t authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should only focus on its nuclear programme and that it hasn’t been enriching uranium since U.S. and Israeli strikes last June on Iranian nuclear sites. Mr. Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as Tehran has barred international inspectors.

Iran has also insisted that its nuclear programme is peaceful. The U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.