"Negotiate a fair and equitable deal -- NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS," U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, otherwise the next U.S. attack on Iran "will be far worse." Tehran responded with a threat to strike back against the United States.
Amid a buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East, the Republican president, who pulled out of world powers' 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran during his first White House term, noted that his last warning to Iran was followed by a military strike in June.
"Time is running out, it is truly of the essence,” Trump added.
"The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again," Trump wrote. He repeated that a U.S. "armada" was heading toward the Islamic Republic.
Any military action from the United States would result in Iran targeting the U.S., Israel and those who support it, Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on X that Iran’s armed forces are “prepared - with their fingers on the trigger to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air, and sea.”
“The valuable lessons learned from the 12-day war have enabled us to respond even more strongly, rapidly, and profoundly,” Araghchi added.
At the same time, Araghchi said Iran has always welcomed a “mutually beneficial, fair and equitable” nuclear deal on equal footing and free from coercion, threats and intimidation that ensures Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology and guarantees that it will not pursue nuclear weapons.
“Such weapons have no place in our security calculations and we have NEVER sought to acquire them,” he said.
Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran has not requested negotiations with Washington, stressing that diplomacy cannot work under the pressure of military threats, according to state media IRNA.
The Iranian Foreign Minister also said he has not been in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days and has not requested negotiations, state media reported.
Trump said a U.S. naval force headed by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was approaching Iran.
The warships started moving from the Asia-Pacific region last week as U.S.-Iranian tensions soared following a bloody crackdown on protests across Iran by its clerical authorities in recent weeks.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters, but the countrywide demonstrations over economic privations and political repression have since abated.
He has said the United States would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear programme after the June airstrikes by Israeli and U.S. forces on key nuclear installations.
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional committee the Iranian government is probably weaker than it has ever been and its economy is in collapse. He predicted that street protests will spark up again.
But according to multiple U.S. intelligence reports, while the economic conditions that sparked the protests remain, the upper ranks of the Iranian government appear to be intact with no major fractures, two people familiar with the matter said.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Trump has not made up his mind on a military strike and that the Iranian government's weakened state makes it advantageous for the United States to press for a deal on denuclearisation and other issues.
The European Union was poised to include Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its list of terrorist organisations after France said on Wednesday it would support the move.
European Union foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday (29 January) and are due to sign off on new sanctions in response to Iran's crackdown on the protests.
The UK has announced a fresh round of sanctions against individuals and organisations it says are responsible for cyber attacks and hybrid operations ...
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claim...
Tajikistan will reduce electricity exports and increase water reserves ahead of winter as the government seeks to improve domestic power supplies afte...
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claims it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 13th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12 July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The U.S. has launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship and said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed to have expanded attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf.
The 4th Shusha Global Media Forum will bring together nearly 160 media leaders, experts and officials from 54 countries in Azerbaijan's historic city of Shusha on 13-14 July, to discuss journalism’s role in peacebuilding, restoring public trust and tackling challenges.
The U.S. has launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship and said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed to have expanded attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf.
Typhoon Bavi, the strongest storm to hit the eastern coast of mainland China this year, brought heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides after making landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday. More than 2.8 million people were evacuated to safety ahead of the storm.
President Ilham Aliyev is holding his annual question-and-answer session with international journalists at the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum in Azerbaijan.
China has maintained its highest-level rainstorm warning after Typhoon Bavi made landfall on the country's eastern coast, urging large-scale evacuations and emergency preparations across several provinces amid fears of severe flooding and landslides
The UK has announced a fresh round of sanctions against individuals and organisations it says are responsible for cyber attacks and hybrid operations linked to Russian intelligence, in a move aimed at countering efforts to destabilise Europe.
A 93-year-old British woman has died after being injured in wildfires that swept through southeastern Spain's Almeria province, regional authorities said, bringing the confirmed death toll to 13 people.
More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across 27 European countries during a record-breaking heatwave in late June, with older people accounting for the vast majority of the toll, according to official mortality data.
An overnight fire at a popular bar in Bangkok has killed at least 27 people and injured 63 others, making it one of the deadliest pub disasters in the Thai capital in recent years. Authorities say the venue quickly filled with thick smoke, trapping patrons inside.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 13th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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