Trump claims to be "very angry" with Putin and threatens to bomb Iran if there is no nuclear deal

Donald Trump heightened his criticism of Vladimir Putin, expressing that he is "very angry" and "pissed off" at the Russian leader over the slow progress of peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. In a Sunday morning interview with NBC, the former president also issued a stark warning to Iran, threatening to bomb the country if a nuclear deal with the Ayatollah's regime is not reached.

Interestingly, Trump lashed out at Putin for criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership, whom the Republican had previously lashed out against and even described as "dictator" for failing to call elections since the Russian invasion began. The executive leader claimed that the Kremlin's statements"were not on the right track."

"If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia."

New Trump-Putin conversation in the coming week

Trump explained that this would mean that "if you buy oil from Russia, you can't do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50- point tariff on all oil." The president said that this measure would take effect within a month if no ceasefire agreement is reached before then.

However, Trump announced that in the coming weeks, he will speak directly with Putin, with whom he has "a very good relationship.” He seemed confident they can work things out. "The anger dissipates quickly ... if he does the right thing," Trump said. 

He threatens Iran with "bombing like you've never seen before"

In addition, Trump made reference to the ongoing negotiations to prevent Iran from building nuclear weaponry. The president stated he is willing to bomb Iranian soil as well as to impose new secondary tariffs on Tehran's products trying to enter U.S. soil: "If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before."

Trump's warning, however, was rejected by the Ayatollah Regime. In a statement on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said there would be no direct negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program. This was the country's first response to a letter sent by Trump to the Islamic Republic's supreme leader.

Iran refuses to open direct negotiations, threatens to respond if attacked

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf took things one step further. He threatened to respond to any U.S. bombing of his country with attacks on the U.S./U.K. naval base at Diego Garcia, in the Chagos archipelago, according to Tasnim News Agency:

"Iran possesses adequate weapons for such an attack from its mainland, such as newer versions of the Khorramshahr missile that have an intermediate range, and the Shahed-136B kamikaze drone with a range of 4,000 kilometers [2,485 miles]. The Americans themselves are aware how vulnerable they are. If they violate Iran’s border, it will be like a spark in the powder keg that would blow up the entire region. Then, their and their allies’ bases will not be safe."