US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Iran that it would face an attack “far worse” than previous US strikes if it does not agree to a deal to curb its nuclear programme.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said a large US naval force was moving towards Iran, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose,” Trump wrote. He said the fleet was larger than the one previously sent towards Venezuela and was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary”.
Trump said he hoped Tehran would “Come to the Table” and negotiate a deal that ensures “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS”. He warned that time was running out.
The US President said failure to reach an agreement could trigger an attack worse than the US strikes carried out in June, when American forces hit multiple Iranian nuclear sites using bunker-busting bombs.
“As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL!” Trump wrote. “They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse!”
US military movements and regional tensions
The warning came as the USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier Strike Group, including three destroyers, entered the US military’s Central Command area of responsibility. The zone covers the Middle East and waters around Iran, though officials said the group had not necessarily reached its final deployment position.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate on Wednesday that Iran’s leadership was “probably weaker than it has ever been” since the 1979 revolution, pointing to thousands of deaths during the recent unrest.
Activist groups have claimed that more than 30,000 people died in the unrest.
Rubio also said around 30,000 US troops in the region were within range of Iranian drones and short-range ballistic missiles. “We have to have enough personnel in the region … to defend against that possibility,” he told lawmakers.
Trump said the United States would maintain a “preemptive defensive option” if there were indications Iran was planning an attack on US forces. He said Tehran had built “thousands and thousands of ballistic missiles”.
Iran issues counter-warning
Iran responded with strong language. Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any US strike would trigger a major response.
In posts on X written in Hebrew, Shamkhani said any American military action would be treated as the start of a war. “The response will be immediate, comprehensive and without precedent,” he wrote, adding it would be directed “to the heart of Tel Aviv and all of its supporters”.
He also said, “The limited strike is an illusion.”
Shamkhani had issued similar warnings in December, writing that “any aggression will face an immediate #Harsh_Response beyond its planners’ imagination”.
Diplomacy efforts continue
Despite the rising tensions, Gulf states and Turkey have been in contact with both Washington and Tehran in an effort to reduce escalation. Iran has said it will not negotiate under pressure or with preconditions.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that a deal with Iran should happen. Speaking to CNBC, he said negotiations would need to address missiles, uranium enrichment, non-state proxy groups and Iran’s nuclear material stockpile.
According to reports, Trump is seeking to limit not only Iran’s nuclear programme but also its long-range missile capabilities, which US officials see as central to Iran’s military strategy.
Trump has also recently suggested that Iran’s supreme leader should leave the world stage, a demand Tehran has rejected.
Asked about the possibility of regime change, Rubio told the Senate that the issue required “a lot of careful thinking”. He said there was no simple answer to what would follow if Iran’s leadership were to fall.