US President Donald Trump has warned Canada of a “very substantial” American response if it proceeds with a trade agreement with China, while at the same time signalling a softer stance towards Iran by saying Tehran was “talking to” Washington even as US military deployments in the region continued.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday (local time), Trump said the US would act decisively if Ottawa followed through on the deal it has negotiated with Beijing.
“If they do a deal with China, yeah, we’ll do something very substantial,” Trump said. “We don’t want China to take over Canada. And if they make the deal that he’s looking to make, China will take over Canada,” according to Reuters.
Trump last week had threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canada if it went ahead with the proposed agreement with China. Responding to which Canadian PM Mark Carney said, Canada has “no intention” of going forward with a deal with China.
Iran ‘talking to us’: Trump
Separately, Trump said Iran was negotiating with the United States, hinting at the possibility of a deal even as tensions remained high.
“(Iran is) talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens… We have a big fleet heading out there,” Trump told Fox News, adding: “They are negotiating,” according to AFP.
He said US allies in the region were not being briefed on possible military plans for security reasons.
“Well, we can’t tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan – it could be worse, actually,” Trump said.
Washington has deployed a naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off Iran’s shores, a move that has raised fears of a direct confrontation.
Tehran warns against attack
Iran, meanwhile, has issued warnings against any military action. Army chief Amir Hatami said Iranian forces were at “full defensive and military readiness” and warned that any attack would endanger regional security, according to state news agency IRNA.
Iranian officials have also indicated openness to talks. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, said “the formation of a structure for negotiations is progressing,” following talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a broader conflict would harm both sides, adding that Iran had never sought war and did not believe it would serve the interests of Iran, the US or the region.
Qatar has also stepped in diplomatically, with its prime minister holding talks in Tehran on Saturday to push for de-escalation, the Gulf state’s foreign ministry said.
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