Trump issues ominous threat to Iran as he gives 10-day ultimatum

Donald Trump has issued a threat to Iran after giving them a deadline to reach a deal with the US over the Iranian nuclear program.

Trump had previously alluded to being willing to strike Iran, and US air force and naval forces have been building up in the region over the past few days.

A carrier group with the USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the region, and another led by the USS Gerald Ford is also enroute.

Now, Trump has given the Islamic Republic a deadline to reach an agreement over its nuclear program, saying they have 10 days, and said that they must reach an agreement 'otherwise bad things happen.'

Just minutes after issuing the threat, Trump even claimed that he is bringing 'peace to the Middle East'.

Trump recently founded his 'board of peace' (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump referred to previous airstrikes that the US had done in June, saying: “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.”

For its part, Iran has been carrying out naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, which is a vital route for the international energy industry.

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also taken to social media in recent days, where he posted an AI-generated picture which showed the USS Abraham Lincoln by a gravestone.

The caption to the post read: “More dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”

Iran's nuclear program has long been a point of tension, with the US seeking to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapon.

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei (Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Historically, Iran has claimed that the program is only to produce nuclear energy, and officially denies that it is trying to produce nuclear weapons.

Referring to the strikes he has already made, Trump previously reiterated his potential willingness to strike Iran, but said that he was open to diplomacy.

He said: "We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s [US stealth bombers] in to knock out their nuclear potential."

He added: "And we had to send the B-2s."

The US president has also said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and urged the country to join the US on a 'path to peace'.

He said: "They can't have a nuclear weapon, it's very simple. You can't have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon."