“If the U.S. or Israel bomb Iran under the nuclear pretext, Iran will be compelled to move toward producing an atomic bomb,” Ali Larijani said during a televised interview on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would order military strikes against Iran if Tehran did not strike a new deal with Washington on its nuclear program. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” he said in an interview with NBC News.

On Monday , Ayatollah Khamenei warned that if Washington commits any hostile act against Iran, “it will certainly receive a heavy blow in return.”

Larijani, who served as parliament speaker between 2008 and 2020, warned that military action against Iran would not be without consequences, and that “the people will pressure us to build a nuclear bomb.”

“The Leader’s fatwa prohibits nuclear weapons, but if the U.S. makes a mistake, Iran, under public pressure, would be forced to move toward building nuclear weapons,” he added.

He also dismissed Trump’s recent letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, saying his words were repetitive and inaccurate.

Trump sent a letter to Iran via an emissary from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 12, requesting that negotiations be opened into a deal. On February 4, the U.S. president had signed a presidential memorandum to restore a hostile policy from his first term of “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic. Back then, he had pulled out of a multinational deal with Iran.

Iran, which has relayed its response to Trump’s letter via Oman, has ruled out direct negotiations with Washington under pressure but has said it is open to indirect talks.