The United States will have to do “something very tough” if a deal is not reached with Iran, President Donald Trump told Israel’s Channel 12 in an interview published online on Tuesday.

“Either we reach a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough,” it quoted Trump as saying.

Trump has said he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, Axios and Channel 12 reported, amid simmering tensions between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear programme and over its recent crackdown on protesters.

“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump told Axios, though he noted that Iran “wants to make a deal very badly”.

Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters last month. Subsequently, the US said that a naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier was deployed to Middle Eastern waters amid tensions between the two countries.

However, the countries held talks in Oman last week, which Iran called a good start. Trump also called the talks “very good” and pledged another round of negotiations.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he hoped talks with the US would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any American attack.

According to excerpts published on his official Telegram channel during an interview with the Al Jazeera network, Araghchi said that Iran’s missile programme was “never negotiable” in the talks in Oman.

He warned that Tehran would target US bases in the region if the US attacked Iranian territory.