US President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed threats to attack Iran, saying “time is running out” to make a deal on nuclear weapons, after Tehran rejected talks.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a fresh warning to Iran, urging the country to enter negotiations on its nuclear programme or face the prospect of far more severe US military action.
In a social media post, Trump pressed Tehran to resume talks and agree to a deal that would permanently prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
”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!” Trump wrote.
Trump, who scrapped the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran during his first term in office, also pointed to past US military action as a warning. He said an earlier ultimatum to Tehran had gone unheeded and was followed by a major strike.
“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 renewed threat followed comments from Iran’s top diplomat, who rejected negotiations conducted under military pressure. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said diplomacy could not progress when accompanied by threats of force.
“Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful,” Araghchi said in televised remarks. “If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues.”
Iranian state media earlier reported that Araghchi had not been in contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days and had not initiated any request for negotiations with Washington.
Trump has repeatedly said that military options remain open, particularly after the United States backed and participated in Israel’s 12-day military campaign in June that targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile programme.
Earlier this month, he threatened to strike Iran over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. But the prospect of immediate American action seemed to recede in recent days, with both sides insisting on giving diplomacy a chance.
With a US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier lurking in the region, top Iranian officials also reached out to key Arab states in behind-the-scenes diplomacy to rally support.
A strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has now arrived in Middle Eastern waters, US Central Command said, without revealing its precise location.
With inputs from agencies
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