President Trump has threatened Iran with “much worse” than the strikes he ordered against the country’s nuclear sites in June if Tehran does not agree to a deal to curtail its nuclear program.
“A massive army is on its way to Iran. It’s moving fast, with great force, enthusiasm and purpose. It’s a bigger fleet, headed by the big Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier, than the one sent to Venezuela. As with Venezuela, it’s ready, ready, ready and ready to do its job quickly, quickly and violently if necessary,” said Mr. said Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform. “We hope Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and just deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it really is of the essence!”
Mr Trump said that unless Iran reached a deal with the US, the US could launch a worse attack than the previous one in June, when hit several nuclear sites with bombs blowing up bunkers.
“As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, a massive destruction of Iran. The next attack will be much worse! Don’t let this happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Mr Trump said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a US official confirmed to CBS News that the USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier Strike Group, which includes the carrier and three destroyers. He was transferred to the area of responsibility of the US military’s Central CommandWhich includes the waters around the Middle East and Iran, although he didn’t necessarily get where he wanted to end up.
While Mr. Trump has issued threats to Iran for weeks, and the Lincoln strike group is approaching the region, his rhetoric has been about Iran’s crackdown on mass street protests. Wednesday’s Truth Social post was the first to link a major US military deployment to stalled nuclear negotiations in the Persian Gulf region.
Last week, he said an “armada” of US warships was heading to the Middle East as he continued to monitor the Iranian regime’s response to the mass protests that began in late December.
“We have a lot of ships going in that direction just in case,” he told reporters on Thursday. He said it was a “good sign” that the Iranian authorities had decided not to hang the protesters, adding: “We have an army in that direction and we may not have to use it.”
Iran’s army chief on Wednesday reiterated recent statements by the country’s leaders, saying Iran was ready for any attack by its enemies.
“The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran is always ready to face any threat, and if something happens, the enemy will definitely suffer serious damage,” said the Chief of Staff and Deputy Coordinator of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media. “We are against any threat on land, in the air and at sea, and the army is always ready to face any threat.”