President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States would strike Iran “very hard” again, even as he urged Tehran to sign what he described as a fully negotiated deal barring it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“They should sign the deal,” Trump told reporters. “We want a deal that’s meaningful and works.”
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US President Donald Trump, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
(Photo: Anna Moneymaker / AFP, CENTCOM)
Trump said Iran had agreed it would not have a nuclear weapon and that “all they have to do is sign the paper,” adding that the agreement was “fully negotiated.” He accused Tehran of stalling, saying, “They keep tapping us along.”
Asked whether U.S. attacks could target bridges or power plants, Trump declined to answer directly.
“I’m not going to say whether we’re going to knock out bridges, power plants,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with the deal.”
The remarks came amid a sharp escalation between Washington and Tehran after recent exchanges of strikes, while Qatari mediators were reportedly seeking to revive diplomacy. Trump has said Iran waited too long to reach an agreement and would “pay the price,” even as he continued to suggest a deal remained possible.
The negotiations have centered on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, a goal Trump has repeatedly described as a central U.S. demand. Tehran has denied seeking nuclear arms, while seeking sanctions relief and guarantees tied to trade and banking access.
The latest threats also follow months of stop-and-start diplomacy, with Trump at times saying an agreement was close and at other moments warning of major military action if Iran refused U.S. terms.