Source TOI
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN — Tensions in the Middle East reached a fever pitch on Wednesday as President Donald Trump warned Iran that “time is running out” to negotiate a new nuclear deal, revealing that a massive U.S. naval strike group is currently steaming toward the region.
In a series of characteristic, high-stakes posts on Truth Social, the President described the fleet—led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln—as a force “larger than that sent to Venezuela,” adding that it is “ready, willing, and able to fulfill its mission with speed and violence, if necessary.”
“The Next Attack Will Be Far Worse”
The President’s rhetoric marks a sharp escalation following a period of relative quiet. Referencing “Operation Midnight Hammer”—a previous U.S. military strike that targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure—Trump cautioned the clerical regime against further defiance.
“I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t… The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” Trump wrote.
The U.S. administration is demanding that Tehran:
Permanently abandon all nuclear enrichment.
Allow the immediate return of international inspectors.
Relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Tehran’s Defiant Response
Iran’s leadership has met the “Armada” announcement with a mixture of dismissal and severe counter-threats. While the Iranian mission to the UN stated it remains open to “dialogue based on mutual respect,” military officials in Tehran were far more blunt.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the regime would treat any U.S. move—be it a “surgical strike” or a limited engagement—as “all-out war.” “This time, we will respond in the hardest way possible,” the official stated, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly placed its missile batteries on high alert.
Domestic Unrest and Regional Stakes
The standoff is unfolding against a backdrop of internal chaos within Iran. For the past month, the country has been gripped by massive anti-government protests sparked by economic collapse. Human rights groups estimate the death toll from the government’s crackdown has exceeded 5,000, with thousands more detained.
While Trump initially suggested he might “rescue” the protesters, he has pivoted back to the nuclear issue as the primary justification for the current naval buildup.
