World

Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if no deal reached with Iran

Following the Iranian authorities’ response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East

Published 4 days ago on Feb 3rd 2026, 3:55 pm

By Web Desk

Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if no deal reached with Iran

AFP: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened “bad things” if no deal with the Islamic republic was struck.

Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Iran, but also warned late on Monday that “bad things would happen” if no deal is reached.

Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.

“We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones … and we have talks going on with Iran. We’ll see how it all works out.” — President Trump pic.twitter.com/7IshgqGx80
— Department of State (@StateDept) February 2, 2026

Iranian state media reported on Monday that President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of nuclear talks with Washington.

Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of nuclear talks.

“I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,” Pezeshkian said in a post on X.

The talks will be held “within the framework of our national interests”, he said.

A meeting is likely to take place in Turkiye on Friday, following interventions by Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and Oman, an Arab official told AFP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

US news site Axios cited two unnamed sources as saying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul to discuss a possible deal on the nuclear issue.

Trump had warned “time is running out” for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Araghchi said: “President Trump said no nuclear weapons, and we fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal,” adding that, “in return, we expect sanctions lifting”.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier on Monday that Tehran was working on a method and framework for negotiations that would be ready in the coming days, with messages between the two sides relayed through regional players.