US President Donald Trump has warned Iran of “serious consequences” if Tehran refuses to change course, as Washington weighs its next move in the conflict and Iran threatens retaliation against any fresh US attack.

At the same time, both sides have left the door open to diplomacy, with Trump saying he would “probably be open” to talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said that the situation is at a critical point, indicating that he was
weighing military, economic, and diplomatic options.

“My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They had better behave,” POTUS said. Trump reiterated the US could potentially destroy Iran, allow its economy to collapse, or pursue a diplomatic settlement.

He also hinted that major developments could be imminent, saying “very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future”.

His comments came as reports suggested that the US and its regional allies were preparing to resume operations against Iran. Tehran, meanwhile, has warned that any American attack would trigger retaliation.

Iran’s central command said any US assault would be met with retaliation “without any limitations or considerations”.
Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran did not see military action and negotiations as mutually exclusive. He argued that Iran needed to be prepared for both options.

“We believe that the duality of war or negotiation is not real, but that we must both fight and negotiate. We must fight sensibly and decisively and negotiate with authority and rationality at the right time,” Ghalibaf told the Iranian Parliament.