Trump says he will decide whether to make deal or attack Iran in 10 days

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday the outcome of the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks will be decided over the next 10 days amid high tensions and increased U.S. military buildups in the Middle East.

Trump made the remarks when addressing the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace" in Washington, D.C.

"You're going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days," Trump said, calling Iran "a hotspot right now."

"We may have to take it a step further, or we may not. Maybe we're going to make a deal," he said.

"It's proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise bad things happen," Trump added.

The White House said Wednesday that Tehran is expected to present more details on its negotiating position within weeks.

"Diplomacy is always his (Trump's) first option," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, but also noted that "there are many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran."

A Trump adviser has estimated a "90 percent chance" of strikes within weeks if talks fail, Axios reported Tuesday, noting that the U.S. raid could involve a large-scale, weeks-long campaign.

Trump says he will decide whether to make deal or attack Iran in 10 days

The European Council has formally decided to add the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran to the European Union's terrorist list, according to a statement released on Thursday.

The decision was made following a political agreement reached by the bloc's Foreign Affairs Council on Jan 29.

In a post on social media platform X on Jan 29, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said EU foreign ministers had taken the "decisive" step of designating IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Following the listing, the IRGC will be subject to restrictive measures under the EU counterterrorism sanctions regime, including the freezing of its funds and other financial assets or economic resources in EU member states, and the prohibition for EU operators to make funds and economic resources available to the group.

With the latest decision, there are now 13 persons and 23 groups and entities subject to restrictive measures under the EU terrorist list.

European Council designates Islamic Revolution Guards Corps as terrorist organization