Trump warns US will ‘start dropping bombs again’ if Iran deal is not reached

U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Friday that Washington might not extend the ceasefire with the Iranian regime unless an agreement is reached by Wednesday.

“Maybe I won't extend it,” Trump told media representatives aboard Air Force One when addressing the question of his deadline for diplomatic talks with the regime. He stressed that the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports "is going to remain," warning that unless a deal is reached with Tehran, "we're going to have to start dropping bombs again.”

Following the recently collapsed talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan, Trump announced that he had ordered the U.S. Navy to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.

“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last Sunday.

However, he sent mixed signals to journalists on Friday concerning the progress of diplomatic talks.

“About 20 minutes ago, we got very good news. It looks like everything is going well in the Middle East,” Trump said without elaborating.

A new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran is expected in Pakistan on Monday, CNN reported, citing unnamed Iranian sources.

Trump responded to repeated Iranian denials of Washington’s terms by arguing that Tehran had “people they need to please.”

“I’m just doing the right thing, telling it like it is,” Trump said. “We have a situation that is going to be very beneficial, and the main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump also said Iran has "agreed to everything," including handing over enriched uranium and ending its support for its proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. The president also argued that "our people" will be involved in the physical removal of Iranian uranium.

“We’re going in with a lot of bulldozers,” Trump said. “It’s so deep, we need the biggest bulldozers you can imagine, but we’re going in together with Iran. We’re going to get it and bring it back home, to the U.S. If Iran gets a nuclear bomb, it will use it on the first day.”

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denied that Tehran had agreed to give up its enriched uranium.

"Iran's enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere; transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option for us," Baghaei said during an interview with Iranian state media.

Trump also responded to questions about his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid Israeli military strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.

“We disagree on some things, but he’s been a very good partner,” Trump stated.

“We did a good job. There probably has never been anything like it. We were the senior, and we are the senior. We’re the greatest military in the world,” the president added.

Trump also denied that the 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel was linked to Iran.

“It’s not really related, but you could say maybe it’s related psychologically,” the president said. “We’re going to help Lebanon become a country again. They’ve been through a lot.”