Trump warns Iran of ‘very traumatic’ outcome if there’s no nuclear deal

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Feb 12 with “very traumatic” consequences if it fails to make a nuclear deal – but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sceptical about the quality of any such agreement.

Speaking a day after

he hosted Mr Netanyahu at the White House

, Mr Trump said he hoped for a result “over the next month” from Washington’s negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear programme.

“We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic. I don’t want that to happen, but we have to make a deal,” Mr Trump told reporters.

“This will be very traumatic for Iran if they don’t make a deal.”

Mr Trump – who is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to pressure Iran – recalled the US military strikes he ordered on Tehran’s nuclear facilities during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in July 2025.

“We’ll see if we can get a deal with them, and if we can’t, we’ll have to go to phase two. Phase two will be very tough for them,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Netanyahu had travelled to Washington to push Mr Trump to take a harder line in the Iran nuclear talks, particularly on including the Islamic Republic’s arsenal of ballistic missiles.

But the Israeli and US leaders apparently remained at odds, with Mr Trump saying after their meeting at the White House on Feb 11 that he had insisted the negotiations should continue.

‘General scepticism’

Mr Netanyahu said in Washington on Feb 12 before departing for Israel that Mr Trump believed he was laying the ground for a deal.

“He believes that the conditions he is creating, combined with the fact that they surely understand they made a mistake last time when they didn’t reach an agreement, may create the conditions for achieving a good deal,” Mr Netanyahu said, according to a video statement from his office.

But the Israeli premier added: “I will not hide from you that I expressed general skepticism regarding the quality of any agreement with Iran.”

Any deal “must include the elements that are very important from our perspective,” Mr Netanyahu continued, listing Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for armed groups such as the Palestinian movement Hamas, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“It’s not just the nuclear issue,” he said.

Despite their differences on Iran, Mr Trump signalled his strong personal support for Mr Netanyahu as he criticised Israeli President Isaac Herzog for rejecting his request to pardon the prime minister on corruption charges.

“You have a president that refuses to give him a pardon. I think that man should be ashamed of himself,” Mr Trump said on Feb 12.

Mr Trump has repeatedly hinted at potential US military action against Iran following its deadly crackdown on protests in January, even as Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.

The last round of talks between the two foes was cut short by Israel’s war with Iran and the US strikes.

So far, Iran has rejected expanding the new talks beyond the issue of its nuclear programme. Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, and has said it will not give in to “excessive demands” on the subject. AFP