Trump Threatens Military Action Against Iran Over Nuclear Deal: Countdown to Conflict
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[Anchor] U.S. President Donald Trump, who had announced a pause on strikes against Iran, is again weighing the option of resuming attacks and has stepped up pressure. He warned that if Iran does not, within days, agree to abandon nuclear weapons, he will restart high‑intensity military operations. This is Jeong Ho‑yoon reporting from Washington. [Reporter] The previous day, Trump—who said he was holding off on planned strikes—set a two‑ to three‑day deadline for negotiations. He warned he would resume attacks if talks show no progress by early next week. 「Donald Trump / U.S. President」 (Iran) is begging for a deal. I don’t want to do that, but we may have to hit them very hard again. I’m not sure yet, but we’ll know soon. He reaffirmed that the ultimate aim of negotiations is to secure Iran’s abandonment of nuclear weapons, saying Iran will never possess them and that will happen soon. He also stressed that this is not a political war with Iran, but a response to the real threat posed by Iranian nuclear arms. 「Donald Trump / U.S. President」 Everyone says a war with Iran isn’t popular, but if people understood this involves nuclear weapons that could wipe out Los Angeles and other major cities in an instant, they’d see it as very popular. By emphasizing the danger of nuclear weapons while arguing for action against Iran, he appears to be trying to blunt worsening domestic opinion. Vice President Vance also reinforced Trump’s pressure by mentioning the possibility of resuming military operations. Trump said he decided to pause strikes on Iran only one hour before he might have ordered their resumption, suggesting he could authorize an attack at any time. He added that President Xi Jinping pledged not to send weapons to Iran, and Trump appears to be using that pledge as leverage to increase pressure on Tehran. This is Jeong Ho‑yoon for Yonhap News TV in Washington. [Video reporting: Lee Hyun‑kyung] [Video editing: Lee Ye‑rim] [News review] Yonhap News TV inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/LINE jebo23 Jeong Ho‑yoon (ikarus@yna.co.kr)
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