US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Iran that the next attack on the country would be “far worse” if it did not negotiate a deal to abandon nuclear weapons.
Writing on his Truth Social platform,
Trump said a massive US naval armada, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, was heading to the region and was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
Trump told Tehran to “come to the table” for a fair and equitable agreement on nuclear weapons, saying that time was “truly of the essence.”
“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 wrote.
The US President also referenced a previous US strike, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” and warned Iran not to repeat past mistakes.
“The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” Trump warned.
The warning comes after Iran, earlier, rejected the call for talks, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stating that “conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful.” He added that Iran had not sought negotiations and that threats and excessive demands would not produce dialogue.
Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated amid ongoing unrest in Iran, where protests over the government’s crackdown have left thousands dead.
Human rights group HRANA has confirmed over 6,200 fatalities, mostly protesters, while thousands more are believed to have been killed, with arrests exceeding 42,000. The situation has prompted growing concern across the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have engaged in back-channel diplomacy with Arab states allied to the US.
On Tuesday, Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani spoke with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, while Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate discussions with both Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
(With inputs from agencies)
