WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — President Donald Trump told reporters that there are no signs Iran is preparing actions against US interests in the Middle East, adding that any provocation by Tehran will be met "with great force."
"We have no indication that anything's happened or will happen, but if it does, it will be met, obviously with great force," Trump said on Monday as quoted by a White House press pool report.
US President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House Rose Garden, called Iran "hostile", noting that he is willing to have talks with Tehran when the latter is "ready."
“We have no indication that anything happening or will happen," explains @POTUS. But if it happens #Iran "will be met with great force.”
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) May 20, 2019
Washington is currently waging a pressure campaign against Iran, the recent developments of which include designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization and a toughening of sanctions against Iranian iron, steel, aluminium and copper.
In response, Tehran suspended some of its obligations in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
READ MORE: Tehran Increases Uranium Enrichment Fourfold Amid Iran Deal Suspension — Report
The United States has recently stepped up its military presence in the Middle East in what National Security Adviser John Bolton has called "a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime."
The deployment includes a carrier strike group, Patriot missiles, B-52 bombers and F-15 fighters.
