DUBAI, February 17. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump’s threats against Iran will not produce any results, stated Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, head of the Strategic Studies and Research Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.
“Trump’s threats have no real impact and will not be carried out. [Iran’s] armed forces are on full alert and are taking the required defensive actions while keeping a close watch on the enemy,” the Iranian Defense Ministry quoted the general as saying.
According to him, “the United States is currently in decline as it faces numerous challenges and is at odds even with its allies and neighbors, such as Canada.” “The new US president may even have difficulty completing his term,” as “the US national debt is too enormous,” Pourdastan suggested.
On February 16, Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz declared that the US president is “deadly serious” about ensuring Iran “never” acquires a nuclear weapon. According to Waltz, Trump has all options on the table regarding Tehran, including potential talks with Iranian leaders.
On February 7, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it would be “unwise and dishonorable” to hold talks with the United States after Washington already betrayed Tehran. In 2015, the United States signed a nuclear deal with Iran, but failed to fulfill its terms or lift sanctions before abandoning the agreement in 2018, Khamenei noted.
On February 10, Trump stated that he believed there were two ways to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon: “with bombs or with a written agreement.” He added that he’d much rather negotiate a deal that doesn’t harm the Islamic republic.