US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Sunday, threatening “bombing the likes of which they have never seen before” if Tehran does not comply with the nuclear deal proposed by Washington. In an interview with NBC News, Trump also hinted at imposing secondary tariffs on Iran should negotiations fail.
“We have the secondary tariffs on Iran, and we’ll probably give it a couple of weeks. If we don’t see any progress, we’re going to put them on,” Trump said. However, he added that if Iran agrees to a deal, the tariffs would not be enforced.
While issuing the warning, Trump also struck a more conciliatory tone, expressing hope that Iran would engage in negotiations. “I would prefer a deal to the other alternative, which I think everybody on this plane knows what that is, and that’s not going to be pretty,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that Tehran had rejected the possibility of direct talks with the US. However, he acknowledged that the door for indirect negotiations remained open, according to Politico.
Tensions between the two nations have escalated since Trump returned to office. His administration has taken a hardline stance against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, following his withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement during his first term. That agreement, which included the US, China, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, and the European Union, was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities but collapsed after Washington pulled out.
With the clock ticking on negotiations, all eyes are now on how Iran will respond to Trump’s ultimatum and whether a diplomatic breakthrough can be achieved before economic and military pressure intensifies.
