Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Donald Trump File Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have exchanged threats over the signing of a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington.
US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with a bomb attack if Tehran does not reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. In addition, sanctions will be imposed on Iran and countries that trade with Iran.
Khamenei responded by saying that if the United States attacks, it will be met with a befitting response.
Trump spoke to NBC News for the first time on Sunday after Iran rejected an offer of direct talks with Washington last week. In a telephone interview, he said that US and Iranian officials are talking. But he did not give any further details.
The US president said that if they (Iran) do not make a deal, there will be bombing. This time there will be bombing like they have never seen before.
Trump added, “There is also a fear that if they (Iran) do not make a deal, I will impose sanctions on them like I did four years ago.”
Tehran’s foreign minister was quoted as saying on Thursday that Iran had sent a letter via Oman in response to a letter from Trump urging Tehran to reach a new nuclear deal.
Tehran has said its policy is not to engage in direct talks with the United States in the face of maximum pressure and military threats.
But Tehran has said its policy is not to engage in direct talks with the United States under maximum pressure and military threats.
Iranian President Masoud Pajhwok reiterated that policy on Sunday. Citing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he said direct talks (with the United States) have been rejected. However, Iran has always been in indirect talks, and still is.
The Supreme Leader also stressed that indirect talks could still continue.
In an interview with NBC, Trump also threatened to impose sanctions on buyers of Russian and Iranian goods. He signed an executive order last week authorizing such sanctions on buyers of Venezuelan oil.
Western countries have accused Iran of having a secret agenda to enrich uranium to a high level of purity to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran, however, claims its nuclear program is purely for civilian power.
In response to Trump’s threat, Khamenei said on Monday that the United States would be met with a strong response if it attacked.
The United States is pressuring Iran to reach an agreement within two months. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador, who is mediating the talks between Tehran and the United States, yesterday. They said that Tehran’s determination to respond decisively and immediately to any threat is strong.
Iran’s supreme religious leader Khamenei said, “The hostility of the United States and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us. We do not think that this threat is very likely. However, if they do any evil, they will definitely be given a strong counterattack.”
Khamenei also said that if they think of creating sedition inside Iran as in previous years, the Iranian people will deal with it themselves.
Iranian authorities have been blaming the West for recent unrest there. These include protests in 2022-23 over the death in police custody of Masa Amini, a young woman detained for violating the hijab policy, and nationwide protests against fuel price hikes in 2019.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said they were willing to continue indirect talks under Khamenei’s orders.
Yesterday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai tweeted that a head of state’s open threat to bomb Iran was a “tragic affront to the principles of international peace and security.”
“Violence breeds violence, peace breeds peace,” Baghai said. The United States can choose its path and accept the consequences.
During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that imposed tough limits on Tehran’s controversial nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
