U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in Friday on Israel’s preemptive strikes in Iran under Operation Rising Lion, warning Tehran of "much more to come" amid stalled U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.
Trump said he "gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal" but "they just couldn’t get it done." Posting on Truth Social, he called the current situation dire, saying that all "Iranian hardliners" who spoke against a deal "are all DEAD now" and that the situation "will only get worse," urging Iran to finalize an agreement. “JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he wrote.
Trump emphasized that the U.S. and Israel possess the world’s most lethal military equipment and that Iranian hardliners “didn’t know what was about to happen.” He added that while considerable death and destruction have occurred, “there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end."
In a follow-up post, Trump wrote, "Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to 'make a deal.' They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!"
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In a Fox News interview, Trump noted he is closely monitoring developments and confirmed the U.S. Central Command is on high alert. “Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb," he said, expressing hope that Iran will return to the negotiating table and adding that the U.S. will defend both itself and Israel if Iran retaliates.
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IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
(Photo: ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Earlier Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, accusing Washington of coordinating with Israel. “Without U.S. coordination and approval, the Israeli aggression would not have occurred,” he said and called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to condemn what he called violations of the UN Charter and assert Iran’s right to self-defense under Article 51.
While Israel conducted its strike on Iran without direct U.S. military involvement, officials told Ynet that the United States later assisted with the drone interceptions. Officials assessed early Friday that the U.S. would likely be first to offer support, followed by other coalition partners. Ultimately, Washington did not leave Israel to defend itself alone.