Donald Trump told reporters he is prepared to proceed with an attack on Iran if the Tehran government does not provide a proper response regarding the ceasefire agreement, stressing that he hopes such action will not be necessary.
On 20 May 2026, US President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States is ready to carry out further attacks on Tehran if Iran refuses to agree to a peace agreement. However, he signaled that the Washington administration might wait another two to three days to receive the “correct answer.”
Trump told reporters that the situation is currently “right on the edge” and could escalate rapidly.
It has now been six weeks since the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran came into effect, yet the negotiations to end the war have seen little progress. Meanwhile, rising gasoline prices are beginning to impact President Trump’s popularity.
“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answer, everything will happen very quickly. We are all ready to act,” Trump said at Joint Base Andrews. When asked how long he would wait, Trump replied, “Maybe two to three days, but after that, it could happen very fast.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian military warned of a new wave of attacks, stating that if the US strikes again, the resulting regional war would spread far beyond the Middle East. Additionally, Iran announced the creation of a new organization called the “Persian Gulf Strait Administration” (PGSA) to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump reiterated his firm intention not to allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons. “We are in the final stages with Iran. Let’s see what happens. We may reach a joint agreement, or we may have to do something quite severe, but I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen.”
“Ideally, I want to see as few deaths as possible, rather than many. But we can handle either scenario,” Trump told reporters earlier the same day.
Meanwhile, the Turkish presidential office revealed that Trump had a direct phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who welcomed the extension of the ceasefire and told Trump he believes a “reasonable solution” is possible.
,cna