U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Sunday that if Tehran doesn’t reach an agreement on its nuclear program, the U.S. could resort to bombing and secondary tariffs. In his first comments since Iran rejected direct talks last week, Trump told NBC News that U.S. and Iranian officials were in communication, but did not provide further details. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump said. “It will be bombing the likes of which they’ve never seen before.” He also mentioned the possibility of imposing secondary tariffs, similar to those he applied four years ago, on Iran and other countries like Russia.
Iran, through Oman, responded to Trump’s letter urging a new nuclear agreement, stating that it would not engage in direct negotiations with the U.S. under the current “maximum pressure” campaign. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that policy but noted that indirect negotiations were still an option, as emphasized by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump also hinted at secondary tariffs, which target countries buying goods from nations like Russia and Iran, following an executive order he signed last week regarding Venezuelan oil.
During his first term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which had imposed strict limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Since then, Iran has significantly exceeded the agreed-upon uranium enrichment limits, fueling concerns that it aims to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its program is for peaceful energy purposes.
