Trump-Iran latest: President warns ‘time is running out’ to avoid military strikes with ‘massive armada’ on the way – UK Times

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said that Iran was in contact with international mediators over the crisis, but not currently in contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

He said he was not currently requesting negotiations either, state media reported on Wednesday.

A source with the Turkish foreign ministry said that minister Hakan Fidan had spoken with his Iranian counterpart by phone to discuss efforts to ease regional tensions on Wednesday.

Iran’s mission to the UN said today that Iran stands ready for dialogue.

Iran responded to Trump’s threat on Wednesday saying that it was open to discussions but would defend itself if provoked.

“Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!” its mission to the UN said in a post on X.

Sources told Axios on Tuesday that Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether to strike Iran.

He is expected to decide after holding more consultations this week, and being presented with more military options.

Alex Croft has the full story:

Donald Trump said in his post on Truth Social that he wanted Iran to “come to the table” and negotiate a “fair and equitable deal”, which he stressed meant “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS”.

Last May, Trump said Iran had “sort of” agreed to the terms of a new nuclear deal with the United States. It was to replace the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, that Trump abandoned in his first term.

That deal would see Tehran make concessions on its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The US insists that Iran must give up its uranium enrichment to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran says it is not trying to build a bomb.

But within a month, the US joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities and its ballistic missile programme. The Trump administration claimed to have destroyed Iran’s nuclear programme through military action, though its intelligence said otherwise.

In December, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Donald Trump that Iran was reconstituting its enrichment sites. Axios reported that they discussed the possibility of ‘round 2’ strikes, citing a US official and two sources familiar with the details of the meeting.

Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday:

“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela.

“Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. 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.

“Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! 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.

“Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

If you are just joining us, US president Donald Trump renewed his threats against Iran on Wednesday as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier sailed towards the Middle East.

Trump said that Iran should agree to a “deal”, which he said would mean “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS”, or face an attack harsher than the one seen against Tehran’s nuclear programme last year.

Iran insisted it was open to dialogue but ready to defend itself.