The US President warns Iran of bombings if Tehran fails to reach a nuclear agreement with Washington.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has dismissed the possibility of direct talks with the administration of US President Donald Trump regarding the nation’s nuclear program, although he has indicated a willingness for indirect discussions. Meanwhile, Trump has threatened bombings and secondary tariffs if Tehran does not reach an accord with Washington.
“We communicated our response to the US president’s letter via Oman, rejecting direct talks but expressing openness to indirect negotiations,” Pezeshkian stated during a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Sunday.
He emphasized that while Iran is not fundamentally opposed to negotiations, Washington must first address its prior “misconduct” and work to restore trust.
These comments, as reported by the ISNA news agency, come amid rising tensions between the two countries.
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump stated in a phone interview with NBC on Sunday.
“But there’s a possibility that if they fail to reach an agreement, I will impose secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago.”
Earlier in March, Trump had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that Tehran must either consent to new negotiations or face military action.
Khamenei rejected the ultimatum, asserting that Iran would only engage in discussions through intermediaries.
During his first term as US president from 2017 to 2021, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 agreement between Iran and global powers, which imposed stringent restrictions on Tehran’s contentious nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Since Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and the subsequent imposition of extensive US sanctions, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran has accumulated enough fissile material for several bombs but has made no moves to construct one.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for civilian energy purposes.
The Iranian economy has suffered significantly due to sanctions, with analysts suggesting that only a significant breakthrough in negotiations with Washington could potentially provide relief.
Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei, remarked that Tehran has “not closed all doors” to negotiations.
“It is prepared for indirect negotiations with the United States to assess the other party, articulate its own conditions, and make informed decisions,” the adviser stated, according to state media.
