US President Donald Trump has warned Iran that time is running out for a nuclear deal, as a large American naval armada heads towards the country. In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said the fleet, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, was 'prepared to rapidly fulfil its missions with speed and violence if necessary'.
Trump urged Iran to negotiate, stating: 'Hopefully Iran will quickly “Come to the Table” and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!' He also referenced a past military operation, saying: 'As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse!'
The threat marks a shift in the White House's stated rationale for the military deployment, moving from concern over protester deaths to Iran's nuclear programme. Trump had earlier urged Iranians to protest, but later backtracked, possibly due to insufficient military assets, Gulf State restraint, or Israeli requests for more preparation time.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate that thousands had been killed in recent unrest and that the Iranian government was 'probably weaker than it has ever been' since the 1979 revolution. However, he warned that Iranian missiles and drones still pose a threat to US personnel in the region, with about 30,000 troops within range of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles and one-way UAVs.
In response, Ali Shamkani, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posted in Hebrew: 'Any military action by America, from any source and at any level, will be considered the beginning of a war, and the response will be immediate, comprehensive and unprecedented, directed at the aggressor, at the heart of Tel Aviv and at all its supporters.'
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said at the World Economic Forum that a deal with Iran should cover missiles, enrichment, non-state actor proxies, and nuclear material. However, Tehran has stated it will not negotiate under duress or with preconditions.
