Donald Trump has warned Iran that ‘time is running out’ to make a deal on nuclear weapons following the deployment of US warships in the Gulf.
The president said a ‘massive Armada’ led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was heading toward the region.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, he said his next attack will make last June’s bombing raid on Iranian nuclear sites ‘look like peanuts’.
In response, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s armed forces were ready ‘with their fingers on the trigger’ to ‘immediately and powerfully respond’ to any aggression.
Iran’s currency, the rial, fell to a record low of 1.6 million to $1 a month since the start of protests that spread nationwide and sparked a bloody crackdown.
Its value has been plunging since late last year and is down from about 32,000 to $1 a decade ago. Economic woes had sparked the protests that broadened into challenging the ruling regime.
Trump has previously threatened to use force in response to the killing of peaceful demonstrators and over possible mass executions.
At least 6,373 people have been killed in the protests, activists said.
Trump also indicated Wednesday that he wants movement toward a deal that his administration has been seeking with Tehran over its nuclear program.
‘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,’ he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
‘Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!’
Mentioning the June strikes on Iran as the US inserted itself in Israel’s 12-day war on the Islamic Republic, Trump wrote: ‘The next attack will be far worse!’
Iran insists its nuclear program is civilian, and said it is ready for dialogue ‘based on mutual respect and interests’ but would defend itself ‘like never before’ if pushed.
Tehran’s mission to the United Nations was quick to respond to the US president, posting on X that ‘Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!’
Trump has not publicly detailed what he is looking for in any deal.
Previous negotiating points have included banning Iran from independently enriching uranium and restrictions on long-range ballistic missiles and its network of armed proxies in the Middle East.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying warships have arrived in the Middle East on a mission to ‘promote regional security and stability’, according to the US Central Command.
The strike group was in the Indian Ocean, Central Command said, and not in the Arabian Sea, which borders Iran.
It will bring thousands of additional service members to the region, which has not had a US aircraft carrier since the USS Gerald R Ford was ordered in October to sail to the Caribbean as part of a pressure campaign on then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the increasing military presence in the Middle East has been put in place ‘to defend against what could be an Iranian threat against our personnel’.
‘I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and … if necessary, pre-emptively prevent the attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region and our allies,’ Rubio told Congress.
He was cautious regarding the prospect of a change in government, though he described the regime as ‘probably weaker than it has ever been’.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has retreated from daily governance, reduced public appearances and is believed to be residing in secure locations after Israeli strikes last year decimated many of Iran’s senior military leaders, according to regional officials.
Day-to-day management has shifted to figures aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including senior adviser Ali Larijani, they said. The powerful Guards dominate Iran’s security network and big parts of the economy.
However, Khamenei retains final authority over war, succession and nuclear strategy – meaning political change is very difficult until he exits the scene, they said.
Iran’s state-run media, which now only refers to protesters as ‘terrorists’, remains the sole source of news for many as Tehran cut off access to the global internet three weeks ago.
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