Key Points
Trump warns Iran of severe consequences over nuclear deal
Threat includes unprecedented bombing and secondary tariffs
Iran could face intense pressure to comply with US demands
During a telephone interview with NBC News, Trump said that the US would give Iran a couple of weeks to comply and that stern action would be taken depending on how the deal progresses.
"If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before," Trump stated, as quoted by NBC News.
"We have the secondary tariffs on Iran, and we'll probably give it a couple of weeks, and if we don't see any progress, we're going to put them on... But we're going to make a decision on secondary tariffs on Iran based on whether or not they're going to make a (nuclear) deal. If they're going to make a deal, then we're never going to put secondary tariffs on; we're going to hope they have a great, long and successful life as a country," he added.
He also offered a conciliatory note, stating that Iran would take up the deal and that if they don't, things will "not be pretty."
"But we'll see what happens... I can't imagine them doing anything else but making a deal. 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. And I do not prefer that," the US President added.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran had turned down the possibility of direct talks with the US following a letter from President Trump regarding its nuclear program, Politico reported.
"Although the possibility of direct negotiations between the two sides has been rejected in this response, it has been emphasised that the path for indirect negotiations remains open," Pezeshkian said as quoted by Politico.
Tensions between Iran and the US have heightened since Trump returned to office, with his administration maintaining that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon. During his previous term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear agreement designed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, later accusing Tehran of failing to comply, Politico reported. That agreement also included China, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, and the European Union.
