President Donald Trump said Sunday that if Iran does not make a deal regarding its nuclear program, "we'll find out” whether Iran’s supreme leader was correct to predict that a U.S. attack on the country would spark a regional war.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks Sunday on a potential war come as Trump has weighed military action against Iran in response to the country’s nuclear ambitions and the government’s bloody crackdown on protesters.
Asked by a reporter about Khamenei’s remarks, Trump said, “Of course he would say that.”
“But we have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, couple of days, and hopefully we’ll make a deal,” he continued. “We don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”
Tensions have been high after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June, and in recent weeks Trump has blasted Iran’s crackdown on protesters.
In January, Trump told Politico that he believed it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran.” As protests escalated last month, Trump told Iranian protesters that “help is on its way,” urging them to continue protesting. Thousands of people have been killed in the protests, according to a rights group.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week that there were no planned talks between his country and the U.S., but said he was prepared for talks to resume.
Also last week, Trump said that “a massive armada” was on its way to Iran.
“Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary,” he said in a post on Truth Social. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties.”
Trump said the “armada” was a larger fleet than the one sent to Venezuela, referencing the operation to capture President Nicolás Maduro and bring him and his wife to the U.S. to face charges. Trump also referenced the June strikes in Iran, saying in the post that “the next attack will be far worse!”
NBC News has previously reported that the U.S. has sent a carrier strike group, as well as aircraft and land-based air defense systems, to the Middle East.
Following Trump’s post, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned that any response to a U.S. attack would be widespread.
“Any military action by the United States, from any location and at any level, will be considered the start of a war,” Shamkhani said, according to the Iranian state-run news agency IRNA. “The response will be immediate, comprehensive and unprecedented. The aggressor, the heart of Tel Aviv and all those who support the aggressor will be targeted.”
Trump pulled the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018, during his first presidential term. The deal offered Iran relief from sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear program.
