President Trump on Friday offered a stern warning to Iranian leadership following Israeli strikes, urging them to agree to a nuclear deal or face lethal consequences.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” he continued. “No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
The president’s post came hours after Israel on Thursday night launched strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites. Iranian state television said the strikes killed the head of its Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was told the strikes were necessary for “self-defense,” but was not involved in the operation. Rubio warned Iran against targeting U.S. interests or personnel in retaliation.
The Trump administration has for weeks been holding meetings with Iran in an effort to reach a nuclear deal with Tehran. While Trump had sounded an optimistic note in mid-May during a trip to the Middle East, suggesting an agreement was nearly complete, he has in recent days been more pessimistic in his assessment.
“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done,” Trump added in his Friday post, following the Israeli strikes.
“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come — And they know how to use it,” he continued.
The president added, “Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!”
Trump in a follow-up post on Friday morning said that he gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum two months ago 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,” he added. “Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”
Trump had a day earlier indicated he did not want Israel targeting Iran as long as there was a possibility of striking a nuclear deal with Tehran, warning that such an escalation could “blow” the chances of an agreement.
He also acknowledged several weeks ago that he has warned Netanyahu against taking any actions that could threaten ongoing talks.
Administration officials said earlier in the week that the government was downsizing its footprint in Iraq. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also greenlighted the voluntary departures of military dependents across northeast Africa, the Middle East, and portions of South and Central Asia. The move came in anticipation of a potential strike in the region.
Tehran also announced they would pull out of the sixth round of nuclear talks in Oman, where U.S. officials were expected to meet with Iranian officials Sunday. The news comes as the president is set to hold a national security meeting with top aides at the White House.
Trump has frequently used similarly bellicose rhetoric at various times during his first term. He threatened to strike Iranian cultural sites if Tehran responded to the 2020 killing of the head of Iran’s Quds Force, though no such strike ever materialized. He also warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about the size of his nuclear button in a tweet before the two ultimately met for in-person summits that resulted in the president speaking warmly about the dictator.