Trump threatens Iran with "bad things" unless it accepts nuclear deal
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President Trump waves while walking to board Marine One as he departs the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2025. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
"Bad things" will happen to Iran unless it reaches a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, President Trump said Friday.
Why it matters: Trump's comments came after Iran responded to the letter the president sent the country's supreme leader three weeks ago, which threatened military action if no deal is reached in two months.
What they are saying: "Iran is very high on my list of things to watch. ... We will have to talk it out or very bad things are gonna happen to Iran, and I don't want that to happen," Trump said. "My big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don't work it out, bad, bad things are gonna happen to Iran."
Driving the news: Iran delivered its response via the Gulf Sultanate of Oman, which duly notified the U.S., a source with knowledge of the issue confirmed to Axios.
- The Omanis briefed the U.S. on the messages they received from the Iranians and will deliver the Iranian letter to the White House in the coming days, the source said.
Between the lines: Trump delivered his letter to the Iranian supreme leader through the UAE signaling that it wants the Emiratis to mediate between the U.S. and Iran.
- Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters on Friday that Iran decided to send its response through Oman because it served as a mediator with the U.S. in the past, and the Iranian government trusts the Omanis.
- He said Iran isn't interested in direct talks with the U.S. at the moment but is ready to hold indirect negotiations through the Omanis.
What to watch: Ali Shamkhani who was the head of Iran's supreme national security council and is now an adviser to Iran's Leader Ali Khamenei said on Friday that the Iranian response to Trump's letter was based on "restraint."
- He said Iran is ready to start indirect negotiations with the U.S. and take "next steps" if the talks are "on equal footing."
Flashback: In 2018 during his first term as president, Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal that his predecessor President Obama had reached with Iran three years before.
- Khamenei said several times in recent years that America's unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal is a proof that the U.S. can't be trusted and that there is no point in holding negotiations with America.
The big picture: Iran's nuclear program has made dramatic advances over the last four years and it is closer than ever to producing a nuclear weapon.
- Its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium is enough for six nuclear bombs if enriched to 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
