Donald Trump's New Threat: Iran Must Negotiate or Something Else Will Happen

The President of the United States threatened the Islamic Republic again one day after withdrawing the country from the JCPOA, stating that "Iran must either negotiate or something else will happen." Donald Trump emphasized on Wednesday, May 9, that if Iran resumes uranium enrichment, it will face "serious consequences." He said, "I strongly advise Iran not to resume its nuclear program. I strongly advise them. If they do such a thing, they will face serious consequences." Reuters reports that it is unclear what the U.S. President meant by "something else." Mr. Trump, speaking at a cabinet meeting, also referred to Iran's actions in countries like Syria and Yemen. He stated, "Wherever they go, chaos and death follow, and we cannot allow that to happen. They must understand the meaning of life. I doubt they know the meaning of life." The U.S. President clarified that he is ready to negotiate to reach a new agreement with Iran but added, "We either bring a really good deal to the world or we won’t make a deal at all." Mr. Trump's willingness to negotiate for a new agreement with Iran comes at a time when Iranian officials had strongly rejected such a possibility before the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated on May 9 in a call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that "the JCPOA and any other topic under its pretext is not negotiable at all." On January 22 of last year, Mr. Trump set four conditions for the U.S. to continue its participation in the JCPOA, which included: "immediate access" for international inspectors to all Iranian locations and facilities, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, ensuring that Iran does not approach nuclear weapons, and limiting Iran's ballistic missile program. On Tuesday, he announced in a historic speech that the U.S. would withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran known as the JCPOA and, in addition to reinstating suspended sanctions on Iran, impose new penalties against Tehran. The new U.S. position has faced criticism from European countries, which have simultaneously urged Tehran to adhere to the JCPOA, as in that case, the European Union will not reinstate sanctions on Tehran. Hassan Rouhani, on Tuesday night, strongly criticized Donald Trump's decision, stating that Iran will remain in the JCPOA for now, but the Foreign Ministry will negotiate with China, Russia, and three European countries in the coming weeks "to determine whether we can achieve what is in the interests of the Iranian people with the cooperation of the five JCPOA member countries," and "despite Trump's rude remarks tonight, the JCPOA will remain stable." The U.S. Treasury has stated that suspended sanctions on Iran will be reinstated within 90 and 180 days, and that the United States will revoke licenses issued for the sale of commercial aircraft from Airbus and Boeing to Iran. According to reports from Reuters and Radio Farda.