US President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with Iran by warning that time is running out for a deal and hinting at a massive US armada moving towards the country, sparking fears of an imminent war. In a series of social media posts, Trump said the fleet headed by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was larger than one sent to Venezuela earlier this month and prepared to rapidly fulfill its missions with speed and violence if necessary.
The warning comes as European diplomats had been expecting a crisis to develop over the weekend and detected signs of Israeli nervousness about the scale of possible Iranian reprisals. Trump's public justifications for mounting an attack have shifted, with some speculating that he held back because he didn't have sufficient military assets in the area.
Iran has insisted it will not negotiate under threats or preconditions, while Trump has made demands including Iran abandoning its domestic nuclear enrichment programme and handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third party. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was not prepared to negotiate under threats but was willing to talk without preconditions.
The situation has deepened fears of an Israeli attack on Iran, which could also target the country's leadership. The Gulf states have urged restraint and Israel has counselled it needed more time to prepare for likely missile reprisals from Iran.
Meanwhile, Arab states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt are exploring ways to reopen talks without preconditions. They were critical in persuading Trump to hold back from mounting an attack three weeks ago, but now have greater flexibility of military options and seem more focused on a nuclear deal rather than punishing Iran for the bloody suppression of street protests.
Iran has strengthened its defense readiness against US military buildup, promising to target the same bases and points from which air operations against it are launched. The situation remains volatile, with tensions escalating by the hour as both sides refuse to back down.
The warning comes as European diplomats had been expecting a crisis to develop over the weekend and detected signs of Israeli nervousness about the scale of possible Iranian reprisals. Trump's public justifications for mounting an attack have shifted, with some speculating that he held back because he didn't have sufficient military assets in the area.
Iran has insisted it will not negotiate under threats or preconditions, while Trump has made demands including Iran abandoning its domestic nuclear enrichment programme and handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third party. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was not prepared to negotiate under threats but was willing to talk without preconditions.
The situation has deepened fears of an Israeli attack on Iran, which could also target the country's leadership. The Gulf states have urged restraint and Israel has counselled it needed more time to prepare for likely missile reprisals from Iran.
Meanwhile, Arab states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt are exploring ways to reopen talks without preconditions. They were critical in persuading Trump to hold back from mounting an attack three weeks ago, but now have greater flexibility of military options and seem more focused on a nuclear deal rather than punishing Iran for the bloody suppression of street protests.
Iran has strengthened its defense readiness against US military buildup, promising to target the same bases and points from which air operations against it are launched. The situation remains volatile, with tensions escalating by the hour as both sides refuse to back down.
I'm not sure why everyone's making such a big deal about this. I mean, Trump is just trying to keep the US safe, right? 
He's not being aggressive for its own sake, he's just standing up for his country and what he thinks is right. 
And let's be real, Iran's been making some pretty questionable moves lately... like supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, and threatening Israel. It's not entirely unreasonable that the US wants to take action. 
Like when the US is negotiating with North Korea or something? We can't always just sit back and wait for the other guy to budge.
There are plenty of people on both sides who actually want to talk and find a way forward... we just need to keep the noise down for a sec and have some real, constructive conversations. 
Like, what's next? 
I mean, come on, dude, just calm down and let the diplomats do their thing. It's not like Iran is just sitting around twiddling its thumbs waiting for you to make a move. 
And seriously, a massive armada? That's just a big ol' target magnet. 
They're not messing around. Targeting those same bases and points where US air ops are gonna come from? That's not a threat, that's a promise. 
The situation is super volatile, but honestly, I'm just waiting for someone to make a move so we can all just get this over with. 
I'm getting a bad vibe about this whole thing 
. Trump's been super aggressive towards Iran lately, and now this massive armada is heading their way... what if it's not even real? 
i hope they all just calm down and talk it out because war would be, like, super bad for everyone 
not on my watch... the more threats, the closer we are to war... and that's just what every country wants... 
we gotta be realistic here, iran's been playin games with their nuke program 4 years now, it's about time somebody did somethin' 
dont get me wrong, i'm all 4 diplomacy, but sometimes u gotta show some teeth 
]
. Trump's been playing with fire, and it's like, anyone can spark a war at any moment. I get that he wants to make good on some deal or another, but warning about a massive US armada heading towards Iran? That just seems like a big ol' provocation 
. And let's not forget about the Gulf states and Arab countries trying to open talks without preconditions - it's like they're all caught in this toxic game of chicken 
.
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. What's next, is he gonna send in the Marines or something? 
And what's with the threats and demands? It's not going to solve anything, it's just gonna escalate things even more.
and now my mind is blown thinking about how adorable a puppy would be in a military uniform... can you imagine? Like, USS Abraham Lincoln with puppies instead of sailors? 
