The President of the United States, Donald Trump, assured this Thursday that he will continue the dialog with Iran about its nuclear program, but he issued a clear warning: if a nuclear agreement with Iran is not reached, Washington will activate a second phase of pressure that he described as “very tough” for Tehran.
During a press conference at the White House, Trump clarified that in his recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they did not discuss the possibility of suspending talks with the Iranian government.
“I will talk to them as much as they want, and we will see if we can reach an agreement. If we can’t, we’ll have to move on to phase two. Phase two will be very tough for them”, affirmed the president.
Follow our accounts on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest news.
Trump insists on a new nuclear deal with Iran
Amid the growing tensions between the United States and Iran, Trump reiterated that reaching a deal is essential to avoid a scenario he described as “very traumatic” for the Persian nation.
“The president recalled that, according to his stance, Tehran should have accepted an agreement earlier. Instead, they suffered the ‘Midnight Hammer'”, he noted, referring to the military operation in which the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran resumed last week, marking the first formal meeting since the twelve-day conflict between Iran and Israel that occurred last June, in which the U.S. participated with attacks on strategic facilities.
Trump and Netanyahu: Full Support Amid the Crisis
After the meeting at the White House, Trump described the encounter with Netanyahu as “very good” and emphasized that, although he listens to his allies, the final decision on whether the agreement is fair depends on him.
Additionally, the U.S. president reiterated his support for the Israeli prime minister, who is facing a corruption trial in Israel. Trump criticized Israeli President Isaac Herzog for not granting a pardon to Netanyahu.
“Bibi has been a great prime minister in times of war, and I have been Israel’s best friend”, he stated.
Read more: Chikungunya outbreak in Seychelles triggers US travel alert
Israel toughens conditions regarding the Iranian nuclear program
Israel has insisted that any new nuclear agreement with Iran must go beyond limiting uranium enrichment. It also demands restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile program and an end to support for militias in the region.
For its part, Tehran rejects these demands and insists that it will only accept certain limitations on its nuclear development in exchange for significant relief from international sanctions against Iran.
