"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," the US leader said in a social media post, noting that "a massive armada is heading to Iran."
"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 dialing up of threats came after Iran's top diplomat said the country would not come to the table under the shadow of military action.
"Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in televised comments on Wednesday. "If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues."
“There is another beautiful war fleet sailing toward Iran right now. I hope they make a deal,” Trump said after US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the start of the multi-day drill.
The exercise will allow airmen to demonstrate they can “disperse, operate, and generate combat sorties under demanding conditions — safely, precisely and alongside our partners,” said Lt. Gen. Derek France, commander of CENTCOM’s Air Forces Central and the Combined Forces Air Component.
CENTCOM said earlier the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group had arrived in the region. Axios reported the United States has also sent additional F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, refueling tankers and air defense systems.
The Lincoln and three destroyers have moved from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, bringing about 5,700 additional personnel to the region.
Britain has deployed Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar, and analysts have tracked increased US military cargo flights.
Trump told Axios in an interview on Monday that the situation was “in flux” because he had sent a “big armada” to the region, but said he believed Tehran wanted to strike a deal.
“We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” Trump said, referring to his decision to dispatch the Lincoln.
He declined to discuss options presented by his national security team, but said diplomacy remained possible. “They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk,” Trump said.
A senior US official later told reporters the White House “is open for business” on negotiations with Iran.
“If they want to contact us and they know what the terms are, then we’re going to have the conversation,” the official said, adding that US conditions had been transmitted to Iran many times over the past year.
US officials say any agreement would have to include the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran, limits on Iran’s long-range missile stockpile, changes to its support for regional proxies and a ban on domestic uranium enrichment. Iran has said it is willing to talk but has not indicated it would accept those terms, Axios reported.
Axios also reported that CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper visited Israel on Saturday to coordinate military plans and potential joint defensive efforts to counter an Iranian attack.
Iran responds
Iran warned on Saturday it was prepared to deliver a “regret-inducing” response to any hostile action. Revolutionary Guards commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour said Iran’s forces were at their highest level of readiness, with “the finger on the trigger,” and warned the United States and Israel to learn from past events “to avoid a more painful fate.”
On Sunday, authorities unveiled a mural in Tehran’s Enghelab Square depicting an aircraft carrier with damaged fighter jets alongside the slogan: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind,” a message widely interpreted as a warning to the United States.
On Tuesday, Iran warned that US threats against the Islamic Republic would only result in instability, after the first US aircraft carrier reached the region.
"The threats and psychological operations of the Americans are aimed at disrupting the security of the region and will achieve nothing other than instability for them," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, according to his office.
Pezeshkian told Prince Mohammed that the "unity and cohesion" of Islamic countries can guarantee "lasting security, stability and peace in the region."
Arab and regional powers respond
Egypt is spearheading Arab and regional diplomatic efforts to encourage dialogue and prevent military confrontation.
Senior Egyptian officials have highlighted de-escalation, confidence building, and creating conditions for talks between Washington and Tehran as ongoing priorities.
In telephone calls to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday, Abdelatty reiterated calls for de-escalation and warned against the region sliding into new cycles of instability and said diplomacy should be prioritised, the ministry said.
In September, Cairo facilitated an agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the UN nuclear watchdog to resume inspections of Iranian nuclear program.
In recent weeks Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made multiple high-level contacts with regional and international counterparts in an effort to prevent wider instability and encourage diplomatic solutions amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
These calls were made to reduce escalation and avert conflict spillover as the US troop and naval buildup raised concerns about a possible strike on Iran
Other regional powers have also sought to distance themselves from any involvement in regional escalation.
The United Arab Emirates said on Monday it would not allow its airspace, territory or waters to be used for hostile military action against Iran.
Russia and Turkey have also voiced opposition to any US intervention. President Vladimir Putin held calls on Friday with Israel’s prime minister and Pezeshkian, offering mediation, the Kremlin said, while Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last week Ankara opposed any military operation against Iran.
Several Middle Eastern allies have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran, an Arab diplomat told the Associated Press last week, warning intervention could destabilize the region and shake the global economy. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that “all options remain on the table.”
Trump’s renewed threats come as Washington and Western powers ramp up sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. Last June, Israel, backed by the United States, carried out attacks on Iranian civilian and military infrastructure and nuclear facilities, killing hundreds of Iranians and causing widespread damage, according to Iranian officials.
Trump said on Friday the United States was increasing its naval presence as a precaution, framing Iran’s crackdown on domestic protests as potential grounds for foreign intervention.
US and Israeli officials have publicly portrayed Iran’s internal unrest as an opening to pair domestic protests with external military attacks in pursuit of regime change.
“We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” he said.
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