Donald Trump News : President Donald Trump intensified his standoff with Iran on Friday, March 7, threatening military intervention if Tehran refuses to negotiate a new nuclear deal, a dramatic shift from his first term’s withdrawal from the 2015 accord.
Highlights
- Trump warns Iran of military action if nuclear deal talks collapse, citing a letter to Khamenei.
- Iran dismisses U.S. overture, demands sanctions relief as uranium nears weapons-grade levels.
- Move escalates tensions as Israel debates strikes and allies urge diplomatic restraint.
In a Fox Business interview taped Thursday and aired Friday, Trump revealed he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging talks to curb its nuclear program but warning, “If we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing.” The ultimatum, reiterated in Oval Office remarks, comes as Iran’s uranium enrichment nears weapons-grade levels, raising the stakes in a volatile Middle East and rattling global allies.
A Letter with a Deadline
Trump’s letter, sent Wednesday, offers Iran a stark choice: negotiate a “verified nuclear peace agreement” or face potential U.S. strikes, a stance he doubled down on Friday.
“We’re down to final strokes with Iran—we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” he told reporters, hinting at “interesting days ahead” without detailing terms.
The White House confirmed the outreach but not its specifics, framing it as a bid to avert conflict. Trump, who scrapped the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, now seeks a redo, claiming his “maximum pressure” sanctions—restored via a February 5 memorandum—give him leverage. “I’d prefer a deal—I’m not looking to hurt Iran,” he told Fox’s Maria Bartiromo, though he added, “The other option will solve the problem.”
The threat follows a January 7 Mar-a-Lago vow of military action if Tehran didn’t comply, now sharpened by Iran’s stockpiling of near-bomb-grade uranium—enough for six weapons, per U.S. estimates—since his first-term exit from the JCPOA. Posts on X reflect current sentiment, with users noting Trump’s urgency: “If Iran doesn’t agree soon, America may have to go in militarily.”
Iran Rejects, Allies Wince
Iran’s response was swift and dismissive. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to Agence France-Presse Friday, ruled out talks under Trump’s sanctions regime, calling “maximum pressure” a proven failure.
“We won’t negotiate under threat,” he said, insisting Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful—despite a UN report last month showing accelerated enrichment to 60% purity, per the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran’s UN mission denied receiving Trump’s letter, state-run IRNA reported, while President Masoud Pezeshkian boasted of resource resilience against U.S. economic chokeholds.
Allies recoiled at the escalation. Israel, weighing strikes on Iran’s now-vulnerable nuclear sites after October’s air defense losses, welcomed Trump’s resolve but urged coordination, per Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
NATO’s Mark Rutte, already wary from Trump’s March 6 Greenland and Panama claims, pleaded for diplomacy, while Canada—embroiled in its own tariff spat—called it another U.S. norm breach. Domestically, VP JD Vance backed Trump’s “tough line,” but Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) warned of “reckless brinkmanship” risking American lives.
A High-Stakes Pivot
Trump’s gambit—pairing outreach with a military shadow—recalls his North Korea letter-writing, which yielded summits but no disarmament. Iran’s defiance, bolstered by oil exports to China, and Israel’s strike debate complicate his play. The IAEA’s Rafael Grossi cautioned Tehran’s nuclear threshold is “dangerously close,” yet U.S. intelligence sees no active weapons program—only enhanced capability since 2018. As markets dipped Friday (Dow -300 points) amid trade and geopolitical jitters, Trump’s threat tests his deal-making mettle against a foe he once isolated, with the world bracing for either a breakthrough or a battlefield.
