Trump threatens Iran with more military action if it revives nuclear, missile programs

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump said Monday he would unleash “very powerful consequences” if Iran takes steps to restock its missile arsenal or rebuild its nuclear program after the U.S. military strikes this summer.

Mr. Trump issued the threat after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said the U.S. would act “immediately” if Iran revived its nuclear program.

“Consequences will be very powerful,” Mr. Trump said. “Maybe more powerful than the last time.”

Mr. Trump said he had heard that Iran was trying to rebuild its weapons capabilities at sites different from the three the U.S. attacked in June. Still, he emphasized that any Iranian activity had not been confirmed.

The president did say Iran “may be behaving very badly” and “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” but he did not offer more specifics.

“If they are, we’re going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that buildup,” he said. “We know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing, and I hope they’re not doing it.”

Iran responded quickly to Mr. Trump’s threat.

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said “any aggression will receive a strong, immediate response that goes beyond what the attacker expects,” the state-run Nour News agency reported.

When asked whether he would support bilateral discussions with Tehran over its nuclear program, Mr. Trump said he would.

Earlier Monday, Mr. Trump drew a distinction between Tehran’s missile and nuclear programs and emphasized that Iran’s nuclear capabilities pose a much greater threat.

“One will be yes, absolutely, the other will be, we’ll do it immediately,” said Mr. Trump, adding that a “smarter move” for Iran would be to make a deal with the U.S.

Israeli officials and independent analysts say Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile program after Israel struck its factories and missile launchers during a 12-day war in June. Israel has vowed to destroy those rebuilding efforts before Iran can improve its air defenses, which were heavily damaged during the war.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed last month that his country would rebuild its nuclear facilities “with greater strength” and maintained that Iran doesn’t want a nuclear weapon.

Mr. Netanyahu arrived in Florida as the Trump administration pushes to advance the second phase of its ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip. The second phase includes Hamas’ disarmament, the reconstruction of Gaza and the establishment of a postwar governance committee. It also includes a board of peace that would consist of Mr. Trump and other world leaders.

Mr. Netanyahu is the second world leader in as many days to visit Mr. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Although Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu hailed their meeting as productive, the two leaders acknowledged some differences, including how to handle settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

“We’ve had a discussion, big discussion, for a long time on the West Bank, and I wouldn’t say we agree on the West Bank 100%, but we will come to a conclusion on the West Bank,” Mr. Trump said.

He declined to say what areas of disagreement remained but expressed confidence that Mr. Netanyahu would “do the right thing.”

The Israeli prime minister declined to outline specific differences.

“Sometimes we have different ideas, but we work it out and most of the time we see eye-to-eye, but it’s been a remarkable experience, and this was a very, very productive meeting,” he said.

Mr. Netanyahu’s political base has been pressing him to pursue annexation of the Israeli-occupied West Bank despite Mr. Trump’s warning that doing so would trigger a harsh U.S. response.

The West Bank, which lies between Israel and Jordan, has been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967 and is home to more than 3.3 million Palestinians. Since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in 2023, the Israeli military has escalated its actions in the region, including expanding Jewish settlements and demolishing Palestinian homes.

Mr. Trump said the focus of the meeting was to press Israel to implement the next stage of its U.S.-brokered Gaza peace deal. He also brushed aside concerns that Israel wasn’t moving fast enough to advance to the second phase of the deal.

“I’m not concerned about what Israel is doing. I’m concerned about what other people are doing or maybe aren’t doing, but I’m not concerned. They’ve lived up to the peace plan,” he said.

The Israel-Hamas peace plan went into effect in October, ending the two-year conflict in Gaza that began after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. Neither side has made much movement on the more complex second phase of the peace process, such as disarming Hamas, raising concerns that the deal might stall.

More than 400 people have been killed in the Palestinian enclave since that agreement, local officials say. Meanwhile, Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire with the delayed return of hostage remains. One body is still to be handed over.

The U.N. Security Council gave its approval to Phase 2 of Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan last month, in which Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza and Hamas would give up its weapons.

The chummy back-and-forth between the two leaders Monday emphasized their close friendship. Mr. Netanyahu announced that Mr. Trump will receive the Israel Prize for Peace, marking the first time the country’s highest civilian honor will be awarded to a non-Israeli citizen.

“President Trump has broken so many conventions to surprise people, so we decided to break a convention or create a new one,” Mr. Netanyahu said during a joint press conference. “This reflects the overwhelming sentiment of Israelis across the spectrum; they appreciate what you’ve done to help Israel and our common battle against the terrorists.”

Mr. Trump called the award “really surprising and very much appreciated.”