On March 30 local time, U.S. President Trump stated in a media phone interview that if Iran does not reach an agreement with the U.S. on its nuclear program, the U.S. will "impose bombing and secondary tariffs" on Iran. This is the first time Trump has made such a statement in public since Iran refused to engage in direct negotiations with the U.S.
Trump revealed that there is a certain degree of communication between the U.S. and Iran at the moment, but he emphasized that Iran would face serious consequences if it does not reach an agreement. "If they don't reach a deal, what awaits them is bombing," he said. "It will be bombing like they've never seen before." He also added that he does not rule out re-implementing "the secondary tariff sanctions that were in place four years ago" on Iran.
Trump's statement comes as Iran has recently once again clearly refused to engage in direct dialogue with the United States. On March 27, the Iranian Foreign Minister stated that Iran had responded to the United States through the Oman channel, emphasizing that Iran would not engage in direct talks with the U.S. while the U.S. continues to exert pressure and issue military threats.
Iranian President Pezeshkzadeh reiterated this stance on the 30th. He pointed out that Iran's policy of refusing direct talks with the U.S. has not changed, but that Iran is currently engaged in indirect negotiations and that Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei supports continued discussions through indirect means.
Currently, U.S.-Iran relations remain tense, with disagreements over the nuclear agreement still unresolved. Trump's hardline stance and Iran's firm position indicate that a substantial breakthrough between the two parties is unlikely in the short term. Observers will be closely watching to see if the two sides can find new dialogue opportunities in indirect contacts.
