WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, threatening unprecedented bombing and economic penalties if Tehran refuses to reach a nuclear agreement with Washington.
Speaking in a Sunday interview with NBC News, Trump stated that discussions between U.S. and Iranian officials were ongoing but cautioned that failure to negotiate would have severe consequences.
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump said. “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
In addition to military action, Trump also hinted at the possibility of reinstating secondary tariffs on Iran, similar to those imposed four years ago.
Secondary tariffs target buyers of a sanctioned country’s goods, effectively cutting off trade avenues and intensifying economic pressure.
He reiterated this stance while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, stating that his administration would decide on such tariffs in the coming weeks depending on Iran’s willingness to engage in talks.
Trump’s remarks come after Iran rebuffed direct negotiations with the U.S. last week, responding through Oman to a letter from Washington urging Tehran to agree to a new nuclear accord.
Iranian Foreign Minister Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Tehran’s position, stating that while Iran rejects direct talks under the U.S. “maximum pressure” strategy, indirect negotiations remain an option.
“Direct negotiations (with the U.S.) have been rejected, but Iran has always been involved in indirect negotiations,” Pezeshkian said on Sunday. “Now too, the Supreme Leader has emphasized that indirect negotiations can still continue.”
Iranian officials have long maintained that their nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes, though Western powers accuse Tehran of covertly advancing nuclear weapons capability.
Since Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during his first term, Iran has ramped up uranium enrichment beyond agreed limits, intensifying international concerns.
Trump’s threats to impose secondary tariffs on Iran extend to other adversarial states, including Russia.
The former president signed an executive order last week authorizing secondary sanctions on buyers of Venezuelan oil, signaling a broader economic pressure campaign.
Trump’s stance on Iran remains consistent with his first term, during which he withdrew from the JCPOA and reinstated crippling sanctions.
While his administration argues that economic and military pressure is necessary to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Tehran remains defiant, warning that threats will not coerce them into a new deal.
