The president said he would give Tehran a couple of weeks to show progress on a nuclear program deal.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump issued another stern warning to Iran on Sunday, stating that if the Tehran regime refuses to reach an agreement on its nuclear program, there will be consequences.
Trump also addressed his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, softening his tone on potential oil sanctions against Russia after earlier criticizing Putin’s remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking to the press aboard Air Force One while returning from Florida to Washington, Trump said he would wait to see if Iran makes any progress before imposing potential secondary tariffs.
“We’ll probably give it a couple of weeks. And if we don’t see any progress, we’re going to put them on. We’re not putting them on right now,” Trump said in response to a question from The Epoch Times.
In a telephone interview with NBC News on Sunday, Trump reportedly stated, “there will be bombing,” and also mentioned the idea of imposing secondary tariffs if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with Washington on its nuclear program.
“I hope they have a great, long, and successful life as a country,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “I can’t imagine them doing anything else but making a deal. I would prefer a deal to the other alternative, which I think everybody in this plane knows what that is. And that’s not going to be pretty and I do not prefer that.”
In addition to Iran, Trump also threatened to impose tariffs on Russia. However, he later sought to soften his comments about Putin.
When asked if his relationship with Putin was at its lowest point, Trump responded, “No, I don’t think so.”
“I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word,” Trump said. “I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
Trump then explained why he was disappointed by the recent remarks made by Putin, where the Russian president questioned Zelensky’s credibility.
Trump said, “He is supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him or you don’t like him.”
By Emel Akan
