Both President Trump and Iranian diplomats sent strongly-worded warnings as the arrival of the U.S. armada ramps up tensions in the region.
Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with another attack that would be “far worse” than the three strikes the U.S. military conducted last summer.
“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, it is truly of the essence!” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
“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! Don’t make that happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump said.
In response, Iran’s mission to the United Nations warned Wednesday that it will respond “like never before.”
“Last time the U.S. blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives,” the Iranian mission said on social platform X.
“Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!” the mission added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, seemed to reiterate Trump’s message to Iran, warning that the U.S. could conduct preemptive strikes and noting that the country’s regime is at its weakest point in decades.
“And so I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially, not necessarily what’s going to happen, but if necessary, preemptively prevent the attack against 1000s of American servicemen and other facilities in the region. And our allies,” Rubio told senators during the Senate Foreign Relations hearing.
