US President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would either reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job," eliciting threats from officials in the Islamic Republic.
"We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job. OK. And it won't be tough to finish the job. I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply...they don't have any money now. We haven't given them any money," he added.
Responding to Trump’s comments, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, warned that Tehran would respond “in another language" unless Trump speaks to the Iranian people “with respect".
“I say to the delusional president of the United States, who today threatened 91 million Iranians: Speak to the Iranian people with respect, or we will respond to you in another language," Zolghadr said.
He claimed that Trump had previously used similar language to threaten Iran’s “several-thousand-year-old civilization," adding that the result for Washington had been “defeat, desperation and requests for negotiations and a ceasefire."
The back-and-forth comes as the US and Iran continue their engagement in an attempt to reach a permanent deal after signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
Despite the talks, military tensions recently escalated as the US twice struck Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iranian violations of the ceasefire.
Trump subsequently warned that the US may be forced to “militarily complete the job" if Iran continued to violate the ceasefire.
On Sunday, Al Arabiya reported that the negotiations for a permanent ceasefire between the US and Iran are expected to resume in Pakistan on July 11.
According to the report, the negotiations will also discuss Iran's nuclear program, economic sanctions placed on Iran, and the IRGC's frozen assets.