Iran has reportedly primed its missile arsenal for a potential counterstrike following U.S. President Donald Trump’s stark threat of unprecedented bombing, according to a report from the state-aligned Tehran Times. The escalation comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, with Trump pressing Tehran to negotiate or face severe consequences.

On Sunday, Trump told NBC News, “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing—and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.” He doubled down, hinting at secondary tariffs as leverage, a tactic from his first term when he exited the 2015 nuclear deal, sparking years of friction.

Iran’s response was swift: the Tehran Times claimed that “missiles are loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch,” signaling a state of high alert. These fortified bunkers, showcased in recent Revolutionary Guard videos, house advanced weaponry like the Kheibar Shekan and Sejjil missiles, capable of striking over 1,500 miles.

The standoff follows Iran’s rejection of direct talks last week, opting instead for an indirect reply via Oman, dismissing Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. President Masoud Pezeshkian has hardened his stance since Khamenei’s February rebuke of negotiations as “unwise,” amid a crumbling rial and U.S. strikes on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Tehran insists its nuclear pursuits are peaceful, yet its uranium enrichment nears weapons-grade levels, stoking fears of Israeli or U.S. preemptive action.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned Friday that any U.S. violation of sovereignty would ignite “a spark in a gunpowder depot,” endangering American bases region-wide. Trump’s rhetoric, paired with recent B-2 bomber deployments to Diego Garcia, underscores a perilous brinkmanship. As both sides dig in, the Middle East teeters on the edge of broader conflict, with Iran’s missile readiness a bold counter to Trump’s aggressive gambit.