US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, issued a forceful warning to Iran, emphasizing that any renewed pursuit of a nuclear weapon would be met with an immediate and decisive response.
The comments were made after a reporter asked Trump whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “defying” him by considering reoccupying Gaza, while noting Trump’s stance of wanting to prevent wars in the Middle East.
While Trump did not directly comment on the Gaza issue, he pivoted to the issue of Iran and asserted that his administration had already achieved significant success in preventing wars in the region by confronting the Islamic Republic.
"We have stopped wars in the Middle East by stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon," Trump stated, relating to Operation Midnight Hammer in June, in which the US launched airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He then delivered a direct threat to the regime in Tehran, warning of consequences if they were to restart their nuclear program. "And they are, you know, they can say they're going to start all over again, but that's a very dangerous thing for them to do, because we'll be back as soon as they start, we'll be back. And I think they understand that, they're just words."
Trump described Iran as a "perpetrator of hate" and "a very evil place," expressing confidence that the future holds a different outcome for the region. "I think it's going to be a lot different in the coming years," he said.
Iran and the US held several rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations, mediated by Oman, before the US joined Israel’s operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities, striking the Fordow and Natanz enrichment sites, as well as a separate facility in Isfahan, inflicting heavy damage.
Despite the strikes, Trump, speaking to reporters alongside Netanyahu at the White House several weeks ago, indicated that the United States would engage in discussions with Iran.
"We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to talk," Trump asserted. He further added, "They've requested a meeting and I'm going to go to a meeting, and if we can put something down on paper, that would be fine."
The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry later refuted those claims and stated that Tehran has not requested any meeting with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Financial Times several days ago that Iran is demanding that the United States provide compensation for damage sustained during the recent war before any nuclear negotiations can resume.