"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.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 10 June, covering the latest developments you need to know....
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June....
A discreet visit to Kyiv by Russian billionaire and businessman Roman Abramovich has reignited debate about the role of unofficial diplomacy in effort...
At least 13 people were killed and 14 others wounded after Pakistani airstrikes targeted areas in eastern Afghanistan, according to Taliban spokespers...
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American b...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 10 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
Iran and Israel said on Monday (8 June) they had halted attacks on each other following an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, as Axios reported that Trump had privately told Benjamin Netanyahu “be careful, or you will be on your own very soon”.
Iran's FIFA World Cup 2026 squad arrived in Mexico wearing badges bearing the hashtag "168" in memory of victims of the deadly Minab school missile strike, which occurred during the U.S. and Israeli raids on Iran on 28 February, according to the Iran Football Federation.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in parliament, Pashinyan is set for a third term as Prime Minister. But an opposition politican has said he will challenge the election results.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
A Sudanese man has been arrested over a knife attack in Belfast that left a man seriously injured and prompted calls online for a protest after footage of the incident circulated widely on social media.
Barcelona is preparing to mark a historic milestone in the legacy of architect Antoni Gaudí as Pope Leo XIV visits the city this week to inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família basilica, almost exactly 100 years after the visionary architect’s death.
Iran and Israel have halted strikes on each other, but Tehran has warned it will recommence attacks if Israel continues military action in Lebanon. U.S. President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun have meanwhile made pleas for peace.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 10 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A discreet visit to Kyiv by Russian billionaire and businessman Roman Abramovich has reignited debate about the role of unofficial diplomacy in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be one of a kind when it kicks off on 11 June, as it brings with it a slew of firsts ahead of co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa in the opening match.
Ukraine has signed a drone cooperation agreement with Latvia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday during a meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs on the sidelines of a summit involving Ukraine and Nordic-Baltic leaders in Tallinn, Estonia.
Iran's FIFA World Cup 2026 squad arrived in Mexico wearing badges bearing the hashtag "168" in memory of victims of the deadly Minab school missile strike, which occurred during the U.S. and Israeli raids on Iran on 28 February, according to the Iran Football Federation.
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