U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he expected a nuclear deal with Iran to take shape during the next month, warning that Tehran would face "very traumatic" consequences if it fails to make an agreement.
"We have to make a deal, otherwise it's going to be very traumatic, very traumatic. I don't want that to happen, but we have to make a deal," Trump told reporters a day after he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
"This will be very traumatic for Iran if they don't make a deal."
Trump said he hoped for a result "over the next month" from Washington's negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Trump, who is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to pressure Iran, recalled the U.S. military strikes he ordered on Tehran's nuclear facilities during Israel's 12-day war with Iran in July last year.
"We'll see if we can get a deal with them, and if we can't, we'll have to go to phase two. Phase two will be very tough for them," Trump said.
Netanyahu had traveled to Washington to push Trump to take a harder line in the Iran nuclear talks, particularly on including Tehran's arsenal of ballistic missiles.
But the Israeli and U.S. leaders apparently remained at odds, with Trump saying after their meeting at the White House on Wednesday that he had insisted the negotiations should continue.
Netanyahu said in Washington on Thursday before departing for Israel that Trump believed he was laying the ground for a deal.
"He believes that the conditions he is creating, combined with the fact that they surely understand they made a mistake last time when they didn't reach an agreement, may create the conditions for achieving a good deal," Netanyahu said, according to a video statement from his office.
But the Israeli premier added: "I will not hide from you that I expressed general skepticism regarding the quality of any agreement with Iran."
Despite their differences on Iran, Trump signaled his strong personal support for Netanyahu as he criticized Israeli President Isaac Herzog for rejecting his request to pardon the prime minister on corruption charges.
"You have a president that refuses to give him a pardon. I think that man should be ashamed of himself," Trump said on Thursday.
Trump has repeatedly hinted at potential U.S. military action against Iran following deadly protests last month, even as Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.
The last round of talks between the two foes was cut short by Israel's war with Iran and the U.S. strikes.
So far, Iran has rejected expanding the new talks beyond the issue of its nuclear program. Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, and has said it will not give in to "excessive demands" on the subject.
