With nuclear tensions mounting and the clock ticking toward a sixth round of high-stakes talks, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a grim assessment Tuesday, saying he�s �less confident� than ever that a deal can be reached with Iran � as Tehran threatened to unleash attacks on American military installations across the region.

�I don�t know. I did think so, and I�m getting more and more � less confident about it,� Trump said on the Pod Force One podcast with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine. �They seem to be delaying� Something happened to them.�

Trump said that regardless of whether a deal is ultimately reached or not, he won’t allow the regime to get a nuclear weapon. �If they don�t make a deal, they�re not going to have a nuclear weapon. If they do make a deal, they�re not going to have a nuclear weapon, too� So it�s not going to matter from that standpoint.�

He added: �It would be nicer to do it without warfare� but we�ll see. Time will tell.�

Trump�s remarks came as Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh escalated the rhetoric, warning that all U.S. bases in the Middle East are �within our reach� and vowing to strike them if talks fail.

�If a conflict is imposed on us� we will boldly target them in host countries,� Nasirzadeh declared at a press conference. He also revealed Iran had recently tested a missile equipped with a massive two-ton warhead.

The backdrop is a diplomatic standoff approaching a boiling point. Iran is expected to submit a counter-proposal to a U.S. draft agreement it previously rejected. Trump claimed Tehran is growing �much more aggressive� at the table, while Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February had already called for further military buildup � including ballistic missile expansion.

Talks are slated for this weekend, though confusion reigns over the schedule: Trump says they�ll be held Thursday, while Tehran claims Sunday in Oman.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)