Iran’s foreign minister said he has not been in contact with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff or received diplomatic overtures
President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Iran that “the next attack will be far worse” than the June 2025 strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites if the country does not relinquish its nuclear program for good in a new agreement with the United States, prompting a flurry of threats from Tehran.
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It has 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,” the president wrote in a reference to his operation to seize Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Trump warned that Iran must “quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal,” noting that he has attempted to engage Tehran to do so in the past: “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL!” he wrote. “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.”
Shortly after Trump’s Truth Social post, though, Tehran’s state-run media and Reuters reported that the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he has not been in contact with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff or received diplomatic overtures.
Trump’s comments come as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, its strike group, and other U.S. assets arrive in the region following the president’s initial warnings of military action against the Iranian regime during its crackdown on protests that left tens of thousands dead. Echoing their sentiments over the past month, Iranian leaders said Wednesday that military preparation, not diplomacy, is their focus. Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the regime’s priority is “200 percent readiness to defend” against a U.S. strike and warned that the Islamic Republic would meet an attack with “an appropriate response,” Iran International reported, adding that Gharibabadi also said the two sides have not undergone talks.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations issued its own statement in a direct response to Trump’s post.
“Last time the U.S. blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives,” the message reads. “Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”
A State Department spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday that “the president keeps all his options on the table” as he tests the waters for negotiations.
“As President Trump said in Davos, ‘Iran does want to talk, and we’ll talk,'” the spokesman said, adding that the administration has “no further comment” at this time.
U.S. forces are scheduled to conduct a “multi-day air exercise” in the Middle East as tensions between the United States and Iran continue. United States Central Command said on Tuesday that the “exercise is designed to enhance asset and personnel dispersal capability, strengthen regional partnerships and prepare for flexible response execution.”
“Our Airmen are proving they can disperse, operate, and generate combat sorties under demanding conditions—safely, precisely and alongside our partners,” Lt. Gen. Derek France said in a statement.
Read the full article here
