Washington, 13 February (H.S.): President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Thursday, threatening very traumatic consequences should Tehran fail to secure a nuclear agreement within the coming month, underscoring escalating tensions in revived U.S.-Iran negotiations disrupted by last July's 12-day Israel-Iran conflict.

Speaking to reporters a day after hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, Trump expressed optimism for a breakthrough over the next month but ominously previewed phase two—alluding to potential military escalation, including consideration of a second aircraft carrier deployment to the Middle East.

He recalled U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during the recent war, emphasizing, We have to make a deal, otherwise it's going to be very traumatic... Phase two will be very tough for them.

Netanyahu, pushing for stringent terms encompassing Iran's ballistic missile arsenal and support for proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen's Houthis, voiced measured skepticism post-meeting, acknowledging Trump's negotiation groundwork while insisting any accord must address these very important elements beyond nuclear issues alone.

Trump, meanwhile, publicly backed Netanyahu amid Israel's domestic political strife, lambasting President Isaac Herzog for denying a pardon on corruption charges.The Oman-mediated talks, restarted last week after Iran's protest crackdown prompted U.S. threats, remain narrowly focused on Tehran's nuclear program—despite Tehran's insistence against excessive demands and its denial of weapon ambitions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar