Massive armada heading to Iran, says Trump; urges Tehran to 'make a deal'

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said a large United States naval force was moving towards Iran even as he warned that Washington was prepared to act if Tehran did not agree to negotiations on its nuclear programme.

 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said a “massive armada” was heading towards Iran, led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. He said the deployment was larger than the naval force previously sent during tensions with Venezuela.

 

“A massive armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm and purpose,” Trump wrote, adding that the fleet was “ready, willing and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary”.

Why Trump says the naval deployment is aimed at forcing talks

Trump said the movement of the naval force was intended to pressure Iran to come to the negotiating table and agree to a deal that would prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

 

“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,” he said.

 

He also warned that time for talks was limited. “Time is running out; it is truly of the essence,” Trump wrote.

What Trump said about past military action against Iran

Referring to earlier military action, Trump said Iran had previously refused to negotiate, leading to Operation Midnight Hammer, which he said resulted in significant destruction.

 

“As I told Iran once before, make a deal. They didn’t, and there was Operation Midnight Hammer,” he said, adding that any future attack would be “far worse”.

 

He also cautioned Iran not to allow the situation to escalate again.

 

A screenshot of a post shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social.

 

How Iran and the region are responding to US moves

Earlier in the day, Iranian officials reached out to countries across the Middle East amid concerns over a possible US military strike, an AP report said. The outreach came nearly a month after protests against the Islamic regime erupted in Tehran, later spreading nationwide and triggering a violent crackdown by authorities, it added.

 

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have indicated that they would not permit their airspace to be used for any military action against Iran.

 

The US, however, has now officially confirmed that it has sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided missile destroyers into the region, positioning naval assets that could be used to carry out operations from the sea.