Trump warns Iran of ‘very harsh’ response over nuclear ambitions

Trump warns Iran: no nukes or face possible military strike.

US President Donald Trump on Monday warned that Iran must swiftly abandon any effort to develop nuclear weapons or face a possible military strike, including attacks on its atomic facilities.

Accusing Tehran of deliberately delaying the negotiation of a nuclear deal, Trump said the United States would not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran and described the country’s leadership as “radicalised”.

“I want them to be a rich, great nation,” Trump told reporters. “The only thing is one thing, simple. It’s really simple. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. And they got to go fast, because they’re fairly close to having one. And they’re not going to have one. And if we have to do something very harsh, we’ll do it. And I’m not doing it for us, I’m doing it for the world. And these are radicalised people, and they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Asked whether his warning included the possibility of a strike on Iranian nuclear sites, Trump replied: “Of course it does.”

“I think Iran could be a great country as long as it doesn’t have nuclear weapons,” he added. “If they have nuclear weapons, they’ll never get a chance to be a great country. They will never get chance. It won’t even come close.”

The President’s remarks follow recent diplomatic engagement between the two countries. Both Iran and the United States described talks held on Saturday in Oman as “positive” and “constructive”. A second round of discussions is expected to take place this coming Saturday, with Rome being considered as the venue.

Efforts to revive a nuclear accord have made limited progress in recent years. Under former President Joe Biden, indirect talks were held but stalled without significant breakthroughs. The last direct negotiations occurred during Barack Obama’s presidency, resulting in the 2015 international nuclear agreement—an accord which Trump later withdrew from in 2018.