Trump touts peace while threatening war with Iran

Driving the news: Trump took credit for ending Israel's war in Gaza while speaking at Thursday's Board of Peace meeting, but also used the time to announce that he'd decide within 10 days whether to bomb Iran.

• "An easy word to say but a hard word to produce: peace," Trump said.

Friction point: A U.S. military operation in Iran could start in the near term, Axios' Barak Ravid reported on Wednesday.

• The U.S. and Iran have had long-running talks about striking a nuclear deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but no definitive progress has been made toward closing a deal.
• One skeptical source said the latest round of talks in Switzerland were a "nothing-burger."

The latest: "Iran is a hot spot right now," Trump said, adding that special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are having "good talks" with Tehran.

• "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 said.

The big picture: Trump has often touted himself as the "president of peace."

• On Thursday, he repeated his claim to have ended eight wars just in his second term.

Yes, but: His second administration has conducted several high-profile strikes and military operations, while warning other countries that they might be next.

• For example, he's threatened Mexico and Colombia with strikes and invasions at various times, ostensibly as part of the administration's push to stem the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S. from South America.
• An early January review by Axios found the president had threatened at least 11 countries with some form of action or intervention, including a yearslong push for Greenland.

The bottom line: Trump has spent much of peaceful presidency on the verge of war.

Go deeper: 6 reasons the U.S. and Iran are on the brink of war

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context throughout.