Donald Trump warns Iran ‘time is running out’ for nuclear deal as US fleet arrives in Gulf

US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, claiming a powerful naval force is en route toward the country and urging its leaders to negotiate a deal on nuclear weapons to prevent potential military conflict.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Mr Trump said a “massive Armada” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was “moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose”.

He described the deployment as larger than a previous fleet he sent to Venezuela before US forces seized the country’s former leader, Nicolas Maduro, declaring the military was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary”.

The Republican President added that “time is running out” for Iran to make a deal and avoid military escalation.

“Hopefully Iran will come quickly to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties,” he wrote.

Mr Trump concluded his post by referencing the US attack on three nuclear facilities in Iran last June, warning that any future strike will be “far worse”.

“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.”

In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country’s armed forces were prepared “with their fingers on the trigger” to “immediately and powerfully respond” to any aggression by land, air or sea.

“The valuable lessons learned from the 12-Day War have enabled us to respond even more strongly, rapidly, and profoundly,” Mr Araghchi wrote on X.

He insisted that Iran has always welcomed a “mutually beneficial, fair and equitable” nuclear deal and denied accusations by the US that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

“Such weapons have no place in our security calculations and have NEVER sought to acquire them,” he added.

Mr Araghchi said earlier that he had not been in contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requested negotiations.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations also responded to Mr Trump’s post.

“Last time the US blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $US7 trillion ($10 trillion) and lost more than 7000 American lives,” a post shared on X read.

“Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”

The warships started moving from the Asia-Pacific region last week as tensions reached a boiling point following Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government rallies, but the US strikes were called off when Tehran said it would not execute protesters.