US President Donald Trump has renewed pressure on Iran, saying Tehran must either reach a nuclear agreement with Washington or risk further military action. His remarks came as Iran held funeral ceremonies for its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with hundreds of thousands gathering in Tehran amid strong anti-US and anti-Israel sentiment.

Trump renews pressure on Tehran

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained his top priority.

“I went in for one reason, very strongly, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I’m not looking for regime change, although this is regime change. The first regime is gone, the second regime is gone, and I think the third regime is more reasonable, but we will find out,” Trump said, per a report by NDTV.

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He also made it clear that the US would continue pursuing either diplomacy or military action if necessary.

“We’re going to win one way or the other. We’re going to either make a deal or we’re going to finish the job—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. We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply, all of those big plants that they built, big, beautiful, modern plants.

They don’t have any money now. We haven’t given them any money. We can knock out their electricity and power-generating plants in, I would say, a small part of an afternoon. Every plant will be gone, and they know that.”

Talks remain stalled

Trump’s comments come as indirect negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme continue without a breakthrough. Although a temporary ceasefire had opened the door for diplomacy after months of military confrontation, recent discussions have failed to produce an agreement.

The US is seeking a deal that would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, impose strict limits on its nuclear programme and address wider regional security concerns. Trump indicated that Washington would continue applying diplomatic and military pressure until such an agreement is reached.

Iran rejects Trump’s remarks

Per NDTV report, Iran dismissed the latest warning, with senior Iranian official Mohammed Baqer Zolqadr describing Trump’s remarks as “delusional”. Tehran has repeatedly maintained that negotiations cannot succeed under threats and has warned it would respond to any military action.

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Meanwhile, funeral ceremonies for Khamenei drew massive crowds across Tehran, where mourners raised slogans against the United States and Israel. Effigies of Trump were also displayed during parts of the procession, reflecting the heightened tensions between the two countries.

Despite diplomatic channels remaining open, no significant progress has been made. With both Washington and Tehran continuing to exchange warnings, uncertainty remains over whether negotiations can resume on firmer ground.

FAQs:

What did Donald Trump say about Iran?

Trump said the US would either reach a nuclear deal with Iran or “finish the job”.

How did Iran respond to Trump’s remarks?

Iran called Trump’s comments “delusional” and said negotiations cannot succeed under threats.