Washington/Tehran, Jan 28 (.) President Donald Trump on Wednesday sharply escalated military pressure on Iran, adopting an even more aggressive tone, saying its time was running out, and that it must come to an agreement over a nuclear deal, or risk facing another US military action.
He warned that strikes would be “far worse” than the ones carried out in June last year.
In a long post on Truth Social, Trump said Washington was losing its patience, and that time was running out for Tehran, urging the Islamic Republic to make a deal now, over its nuclear programme, before it was too late.
“Time is running out, it is truly of the essence,” he wrote. “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL!”
The warning coincided with a visible US military buildup in the Middle East. Trump said a “massive armada,” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, was heading towards Iran, describing it as a larger deployment than the force previously sent to Venezuela.
The carrier and accompanying warships arrived in the region earlier this week to bolster American firepower and defensive capabilities.
“It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose,” Trump wrote, adding that the fleet was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission with speed and violence, if necessary.”
Trump framed the threat as a final push to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. He said he hoped Iran would “quickly come to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – no nuclear weapons – one that is good for all parties.”
Referring to the US strikes launched at the end of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, he added: “They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse. Don’t make that happen again.”
While Trump has previously floated military intervention over Iran’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests earlier this month, which rights groups say killed thousands, his rhetoric has now shifted decisively back to the nuclear issue.
The implicit message from Washington is that diplomacy is the only alternative to further escalation.
Tehran, however, has rejected any negotiations, stating that talks cannot be conducted while being threatened at the same time.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that he had not been in contact with US envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days, despite earlier indications that indirect channels remained open.
“There was no contact between me and Witkoff in recent days and no request for negotiations was made from us,” Araghchi told state media, adding that intermediaries were still holding consultations.
“Our stance is clear,” he said. “Negotiations don’t go along with threats, and talks can only take place when there are no longer menaces and excessive demands.”
Analysts note, that should diplomacy fail, a plethora of military options are open for the US, which include further long distance strikes on Iranian military facilities, to more precise, and targeted action against the theocratic leadership under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an effort to destabilise the system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran has repeatedly warned that any US attack would trigger mass armed retaliation against forces of both the US, and Israel across the region, stating that their finger is ever ready on the trigger.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that stance this week, saying: “Trump will decide what he decides; the State of Israel will decide what it decides.” He added that if Iran struck Israel, “we will respond with a force that Iran has never seen.”
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