Donald Trump threatens Iran with maximum retaliation if the regime attacks the United States, but still believes a deal is possible

Donald Trump warned Iran on Sunday that the US military would respond with "full force" if it attacked the United States, reaffirming on his Truth Social platform that Washington "had nothing to do" with the ongoing Israeli attacks on Tehran.

Israel launched new strikes on Sunday targeting Iran's nuclear program, which responded with missile attacks killing at least eight people on Israeli territory, on the third day of an unprecedented military escalation between the two enemy countries.

"If we are attacked in any way by Iran, the full force and might of the United States Armed Forces will be brought to bear on you at levels never before seen," Trump said in a message broadcast on Truth Social.

An agreement torpedoed by Donald Trump

"We can easily reach an agreement between Iran and Israel and end this bloody conflict!" added the American president, who had declared that he was aware of the Israeli operation before it began early Friday.

The latter targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people, including senior army commanders and nuclear scientists, according to Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to strike "all targets of the ayatollahs' regime," and Iran responded with a deadly barrage of missiles.

On Friday, the US president urged Tehran to reach an agreement or face "even more brutal" attacks from Israel.

During his first term, a landmark nuclear deal with Iran – negotiated under former President Barack Obama – was torpedoed in 2018 when Mr. Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from it and reimposed sanctions.