US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Thursday with "very traumatic" consequences if it fails to reach a nuclear deal - but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was skeptical about the quality of such a deal.
Speaking a day after hosting Netanyahu at the White House, Trump said he hoped for a result "within the next month" from Washington's negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program.
"We have to make a deal, otherwise it will be very traumatic, very traumatic. I don't want this to happen, but we have to make a deal," Trump told reporters, foreign media wrote, according to the Telegraph.
"This will be very traumatic for Iran if they don't reach a deal."
Trump - who is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to pressure Iran - recalled the US 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 make a deal with them, and if we can't, we'll have to move to phase two. Phase two is going to be very difficult for them," Trump said.
Netanyahu had traveled to Washington to urge Trump to take a tougher stance in the Iran nuclear talks, particularly on the inclusion of the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile arsenal.
But Israeli and American leaders apparently remained at odds, with Trump saying after their meeting at the White House on Wednesday that he had insisted that negotiations should continue.
Netanyahu said in Washington on Thursday before departing for Israel that Trump believed he was preparing the ground for a deal.
But the Israeli prime minister added: "I will not hide from you that I expressed general skepticism about the quality of any agreement with Iran."
Despite their differences over Iran, Trump signaled his strong personal support for Netanyahu, while criticizing Israeli President Isaac Herzog for rejecting his request to pardon the prime minister on corruption charges.
Trump has repeatedly hinted at possible US military action against Iran after the deadly crackdown on protests last month, even though Washington and Tehran resumed talks last week with a meeting in Oman.Telegrafi/
