US President Donald Trump insisted Monday that Iran is “going to negotiate" ahead of anticipated talks in Pakistan.
Speaking in a short phone interview on “The John Fredericks Show," a conservative radio program, Trump projected confidence that Tehran would come to the table, while warning of consequences if it does not.
“Well, they’re going to negotiate, and if they don’t, they’re going to see problems like they’ve never seen before," the President said.
“Hopefully they’ll make a fair deal, and they’ll build their country back up," Trump continued, adding that when they do so, “they will not have a nuclear weapon."
Trump also explained once again why it was necessary to take military action against Iran. “And I have to say we had no choice in Iran," he said. “It wasn’t like we had a choice. We had to do it."
“We’ve done a great job, and we’ll get it closed out, and everybody’s going to be happy," he added.
Earlier on Monday, Iranian Parliament speaker Mohmmad Bagher Ghalibaf blasted Trump, making clear that the Islamic Republic will not negotiate under threats.
“Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table - in his own imagination - into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering," Ghalibaf, who headed the Iranian delegation in recent talks with the US in Pakistan, wrote in a social media post.
“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield," he warned.
Ghalibaf’s comments came hours after Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US will not lift its blockade on Iranian ports until a deal has been reached with Tehran.
Trump wrote that the blockade, which began last week, is "absolutely destroying Iran", and added that the US is winning the conflict "by a lot".
In a separate post, Trump said a deal currently being discussed with Iran would be "far better" than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed during the Obama administration.
“The DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA," Trump wrote, describing the 2015 agreement as “one of the Worst Deals ever made" and asserting that it created “a guaranteed Road to a Nuclear Weapon."
Trump said the deal currently being worked on “will not, and cannot" allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
The temporary US-Iran ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday, and there is currently no certainty that a second round of peace talks will go ahead in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Al-Arabiya on Monday night quoted a report in Pakistani media saying that Pakistan has approached the United States and Iran with a request to extend the ceasefire by an additional two weeks.
According to the reports, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may announce the extension of the ceasefire as early as Tuesday.
On Sunday, Iran denied it would participate in new peace talks with the United States, its state news agency reported.
The denial came hours after Trump said Iranian negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for a second round of peace talks.