Trump threatens to bomb Iran if nuclear deal is not reached

US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran on Sunday, threatening military action and secondary tariffs if an agreement on its nuclear program is not reached.

In a telephone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker, Trump confirmed that discussions were ongoing between US and Iranian officials but did not provide further details.

“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” he stated. “But there’s a chance that if they don’t make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago.”

During his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, which had imposed stringent limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the withdrawal, Trump reinstated comprehensive US sanctions, leading Iran to significantly exceed the nuclear enrichment limits set by the deal.

Thus far, Iran has dismissed Trump’s threats to reach an agreement or face military repercussions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that Iran had communicated a response to Trump through Oman regarding his request for a new nuclear deal, as reported by the official IRNA news agency on Thursday.

Western nations accuse Iran of pursuing a covert agenda to develop nuclear weapons capabilities by enriching uranium to levels deemed excessive for a civilian energy program. However, Tehran maintains that its nuclear initiatives are solely for peaceful energy purposes.