Houston: The United States is facing "a big decision to make" on Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday. "We have a big decision to make" on whether to attack Iran and the choice is "not easy," Trump said at an event in Texas. Any agreement with Iran must meet Washington's terms, he said. "They want to make a deal, but got to make a deal that's meaningful," Trump said. "I'd rather do it the peaceful way. But they're very difficult people."

According to Namibia Press Agency, earlier on Friday, Trump told reporters that he's "not happy" with the way the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks are going but has not made a final decision on potential military operations against Iran. "I'd love not to use" the U.S. forces, "but sometimes you have to," he added.

The Trump administration has escalated its military presence in the Middle East, deploying additional fighter squadrons and positioning two carrier strike groups in the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived off Israel's coast on Friday, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the Arabian Sea since late January.

Tehran has warned that any strike would provoke retaliatory attacks on U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East. Additional technical talks between the United States and Iran are scheduled for Monday in Vienna.