WASHINGTON, May 17. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has warned Iran of more powerful strikes if it refuses to make a deal.
"We want to make a deal. They are not where we want them to be. They will have to get there or they will be hit badly, and they don't want that," Trump told the Axios news portal, adding that the Iran will be hit "much harder than before" if Tehran doesn't come up with a better proposal.
According to Axios, the US leader plans to hold a meeting with his top security officials on May 19 to discuss further military options against Iran. It also said, citing sources, that on May 16, Trump had met with Vice President JD Vance, his special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and CIA chief John Ratcliffe to discuss the Iranian issue.
Earlie on Sunday, the US president urged urged Iran to act faster to move to a potential deal.
"For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving, fast, or there won’t be anything left of them. Time is of the essence!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. On April 7, US President Donald Trump declared a two-week ceasefire with Iran. On April 11, Iran and the US held several rounds of talks in Islamabad, however both sides later reported that they were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term settlement of the conflict due to a number of contradictions. On April 21, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to extend the ceasefire with Iran. Meanwhile, according to the Iranian state television, Tehran does not recognize Washington’s unilateral ceasefire extension and will act as it deems necessary in its interests.
