Trump Threatens Iran with Bombing and Tariffs Over Nuclear Standoff
Iran Rejects Direct Talks, Responds via Oman with Firm Stance on Defense and Nuclear Policy.
Watan-U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran and impose secondary tariffs on it if it does not reach an agreement with Washington regarding its nuclear program. In a phone interview with NBC on Sunday, Trump said: “If they don’t reach a deal, there will be unprecedented bombing… but there’s also a possibility, if they don’t reach a deal, that I’ll impose secondary tariffs on them just like I did four years ago.”
Trump had previously accused Iran of supporting the Houthi group in Yemen, which Washington began targeting with airstrikes earlier this month. He warned Tehran, calling on it to stop: “Support for the terrorist Houthis must stop immediately.” The U.S. president gave Iran a two-month deadline to sign a new nuclear agreement or face potential military action, in a message he sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei three weeks ago.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed during a government meeting that his country’s response to the American president’s message to the Iranian Supreme Leader “was delivered to them via the Sultanate of Oman.” According to Iranian state television, he added, “Direct negotiations were rejected, but it was stated that the path to indirect negotiations remains open,” clarifying that “Iran has never avoided negotiations, and it was the breach of commitments that caused the problem on this path, and that needs to be corrected.” The Iranian president stressed that “it is American behavior that will determine whether negotiations continue.”
Tehran Sends Rare Detailed Reply to Trump via Oman
Last Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran sent a response to Trump’s message “appropriately through the Sultanate of Oman,” adding: “In our reply, we fully explained our views regarding the current situation and Mr. Trump’s message.” Araghchi affirmed: “Our policy remains not to negotiate directly with America under conditions of maximum pressure and military threats,” according to Iranian state television.
Sources familiar with the matter in Iran revealed on Saturday details of the reply message sent by the Iranian Foreign Ministry to Trump via Oman, in response to his letter to the Iranian Supreme Leader. This marks the first time Iran has responded to a message from a U.S. president, after having previously ignored similar communications from past American leaders.
These sources, who requested anonymity, confirmed that Tehran “responded to every clause and paragraph in the U.S. president’s letter separately and in detail, using language that matched what Trump used.” They added that the reply message “revolves around four main topics: the nuclear file, defensive capabilities, regional policies, and the threats” made by Trump in his message.
Iran Draws Red Lines: No Talks Beyond Nuclear Deal
The sources added that “Tehran firmly rejected any discussion about its defensive capabilities and missile programs,” while at the same time, it expressed in the letter “its readiness to negotiate only about its nuclear program, and solely on the basis of the 2015 nuclear agreement and mutual respect.”
They noted that the emphasis on negotiating only based on the nuclear deal was a rejection of any attempt to raise “illogical demands aimed at dismantling the nuclear program,” clarifying that Iran “will not accept that under any circumstances.” The message to Trump reaffirmed that “its nuclear program is peaceful, and that its adherence to its peaceful nature stems purely from its own convictions.”
According to the Iranian sources, the reply letter tied any direct negotiations to being treated “with respect, without threats or maximum pressure.” The fourth axis of the letter addressed the threats included in Trump’s message, stating that “Tehran will firmly defend its interests and national security, and its response to any targeting will have no defined limits.”
