ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE—President Donald Trump issued another stern warning to Iran on March 30, stating that if the Tehran regime refuses to reach an agreement on its nuclear program, there will be consequences.
Trump also addressed his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, softening his tone on potential oil sanctions against Russia after earlier criticizing Putin’s remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying from Florida to Washington, Trump said he would wait to see if Iran makes any progress before imposing potential secondary tariffs.
“We'll probably give it a couple of weeks,“ Trump said in response to a question from The Epoch Times. ”And if we don’t see any progress, we’re going to put them on. We’re not putting them on right now.”
“I hope they have a great, long, and successful life as a country,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “I can’t imagine them doing anything else but making a deal. I would prefer a deal to the other alternative, which I think everybody in this plane knows what that is. And that’s not going to be pretty, and I do not prefer that.”
When asked if his relationship with Putin was at its lowest point, Trump said, “No, I don’t think so.”
“I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
Trump then explained why he was disappointed by Putin’s recent remarks, in which the Russian president questioned Zelenskyy’s credibility.
“He is supposed to be making a deal with him, whether you like him or you don’t like him,” Trump said.
“So, I wasn’t happy with that, but I think he’s going to be good. I certainly wouldn’t want to put secondary tariffs on Russia. But if they were put on, it would not be very good.”
When asked by The Epoch Times whether Chinese companies would face sanctions for purchasing Russian oil, Trump suggested that sanctions would discourage other nations from buying Russian oil.
He pointed to the example of Venezuela, saying, “China pulled out their bunkers and left.”
“They had two ships there and they left,“ he said. ”They left empty. They did not want to take a chance.
“No, we’re not playing games.”
Earlier in the day, Trump said he would levy secondary tariffs on all Russian oil, possibly within a month, if it appears that the nation is hindering his efforts to end the war with Ukraine or trying to prevent a cease-fire.
During his remarks aboard Air Force One, Trump also criticized Zelenskyy for attempting to back out of a minerals deal with the United States.
“We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘Well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal,’” Trump said.
“He wants to be a member of NATO. He was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that. So, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.”
