US President Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning to Iran, stating that “big powerful ships” are heading to the Middle East. The remarks, made aboard Air Force One, come days after he claimed a “massive Armada” was on its way to enforce a nuclear weapons deal.
Trump said he hoped to negotiate an acceptable agreement, but warned that if Tehran did not “come to the table”, the next attack would be “far worse” than last summer’s strikes on nuclear facilities, which he termed “Operation Midnight Hammer”. He wrote on Truth Social that a fleet led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was “ready, willing and able to rapidly fulfil its mission with speed and violence, if necessary”.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded by warning that any war started by the US would become a regional conflict. “We are not the instigators and we do not seek to attack any country. But the Iranian nation will deliver a firm blow to anyone who attacks or harasses it,” state television quoted him as saying.
Separately, Trump criticised the UK’s efforts to strengthen economic ties with China, calling it “very dangerous” as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met President Xi Jinping in Shanghai. He also expressed disapproval of Canada’s business dealings with Beijing.
