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Donald Trump has warned Iran that “time is running out” to reach a deal to halt US military action as he said a fleet of ships was ready to launch a mission which he compared to Washington’s recent operation in Venezuela.
Writing on his Truth social account on Wednesday, the US president reiterated that “a massive armada is headed towards Iran”, adding that “it is moving rapidly with great force, gusto and purpose”.
He also warned that any attack would be bigger than the US attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities last June.
“Like Venezuela, (the fleet) is ready, willing and able to rapidly accomplish its mission with speed and violence,” Trump wrote in reference to the U.S. capture of strongman Nicolas Maduro this month.
“Time is running out, this is really important!” The US President added. “As I told Iran once before, make a deal! They didn’t do it, and ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ happened, which was a massive destruction of Iran. The next attack will be much worse!”
Trump’s comments come as the US has deployed military assets to the region in recent weeks, including a strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
The US President has repeatedly threatened to attack the Islamic Republic over its recent crackdown on anti-regime protests.
While Trump appeared complacent after claiming that Tehran had canceled more than 800 executions of detained protesters, the US later deployed additional military assets to the region in an apparent effort to maintain pressure on the regime.
In his post on Wednesday he said Iran’s nuclear program should be part of any deal, calling on Tehran to limit its capabilities.
“Hopefully Iran will soon ‘come to the table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – no nuclear weapons – that will be good for all parties,” he wrote.
Trump’s mention of nuclear weapons came despite White House claims that US strikes on Tehran facilities in June had destroyed the Islamic Republic’s ability to develop such weapons.
Iran denies that it has tried to build nuclear weapons and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian uses.
The US has previously demanded Iran agree to halt all uranium enrichment, a process that can produce both nuclear fuel and weapons-grade material. Tehran has refused to meet such demand.
Concern is rising in Gulf countries over the possibility of US attacks and Iranian threats of retaliation, raising fears of a regional conflict that could disrupt oil trade.
Oil prices rose slightly after Trump’s post, with global benchmark Brent crude rising 0.3 percent in the session to below $68 a barrel.
Washington and Tehran were discussing curbs on Iran’s nuclear capabilities before Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June, in which the US briefly joined.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran was in contact with unnamed countries acting as “middlemen” in its discussions with Washington.
Trump and senior US aides have refused to elaborate on the terms of any deal offered to the Iranian regime.
“With respect to Iran, we are open for business,” a senior administration official told reporters on Monday if the regime makes a proposal to the White House. “They know what the terms are,” the official said, declining to elaborate.
Maduro’s seizure by the US paved the way for him to cross into the US to face criminal charges.
The commando raid followed a large military gathering in the Caribbean as Trump sought to increase pressure on Maduro, whom Washington has designated as the leader of a “narco-terrorist” drug cartel.
Additional reporting by Abigail Hauslohner in Washington and Beita Ghaffari in Tehran
