Trump: If Iran Does Not Reach a Nuclear Agreement with the U.S., It Will Be 'Bombed'

The President of the United States warned that if Iran does not reach an agreement with the U.S. regarding its nuclear program, it will face secondary tariffs and will be bombed. Donald Trump stated early Monday, April 11, to reporters accompanying him on Air Force One that he cannot imagine Iranian officials doing anything other than reaching an agreement. He added, 'I prefer the agreement to that other alternative; I think everyone on this plane knows what that other alternative is. It won’t be pretty; I prefer it not.' Trump also mentioned that he would likely give Iran 'a few weeks' and if there is no progress towards an agreement, he would impose secondary tariffs against Tehran. He stated, 'I did this six years ago, and it worked very well.' With secondary tariffs, the U.S. would impose punitive measures such as tariffs on countries and entities purchasing Iranian products. Just hours before these remarks, NBC News published an interview with Donald Trump in which he mentioned, without details, that Iranian and American officials are negotiating. In a phone interview with the network, he said, 'If they do not reach an agreement, bombing will happen. It will be bombed in a way that they have never seen before.' The U.S. President called for a new agreement to ensure that Iran does not intend to acquire nuclear weapons. Trump also threatened to impose 'secondary tariffs' against Iran while announcing that U.S. and Iranian officials are 'in discussions.' On April 8, the U.S. President stated that he prefers to reach an agreement with Tehran regarding its nuclear program, but if this does not happen, very bad things are in store for Iran. Trump had previously announced in late February that he prefers to reach an agreement with Iran rather than 'bombing it severely,' and he also promised that if an agreement is reached, Israel would not bomb Iran. He further stated on March 7 that he had written a letter to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, regarding negotiations for a new nuclear agreement with Iran, and then announced, 'We have reached the final moments. We cannot allow them to obtain nuclear weapons.' Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Iranian President announced that the response from the Supreme Leader to Trump's letter had been delivered to Oman and had also reached the American side. He stated that Ali Khamenei opposed direct negotiations with the U.S. but agreed to 'indirect' negotiations with Trump's administration. The letter from the U.S. President was delivered to Iran by Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, and Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stated on April 7 that Iran's response had been sent to the U.S. government via Oman. An American official and two sources familiar with the content of the U.S. President's letter told Axios on March 20 that Trump had given Tehran a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear agreement with Washington. This comes as the Supreme Leader stated the day after Trump announced he had sent a letter to him that Iran would not negotiate with 'bullying governments.' Iran and six world powers reached the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA in July 2015, and Trump, who has always been critical of the terms of this agreement, announced the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018. Iran denies seeking to acquire nuclear weapons but has violated its JCPOA commitments after the U.S. withdrawal and has significantly accelerated its uranium enrichment, especially in the past year.