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Trump says Iran talks 'on borderline'

Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
May 20, 2026
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on May 20, 2026, as he returns to Washington, DC, after delivering the commmencement address to the US Coast Guard Academy's 2026 graduating class. President Trump said that it was a "very big moment" on Wednesday after the Justice Department indicted 94-year-old former Cuban president Raul Castro over the 1996 downing of civilian planes manned by critics of the communist state (also known as the "Brothers to the Rescue" murders). — Kent NISHIMURA

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that talks with Tehran were "on the borderline" between a deal to end the Middle East war and a resumption of strikes on Iran.

Trump has given conflicting signals since announcing on Monday that he had called off renewed attacks to give time for negotiations, veering between optimism about an agreement and threats of more action.

"It's right on the borderline, believe me," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington when asked where the talks with Iran stood.

"If we don't get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We're all ready to go. We have to get the right answers -- it would have to be a complete 100 percent good answers."

Trump said it would save "a lot of time, energy and lives" if Iran made a deal, saying it could happen "very quickly, or (in) a few days."

The US leader said this week he had been an hour away from ordering the resumption of strikes on Iran but postponed the attack planned for Tuesday at the request of Gulf states.