US President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next US attack would be far worse.
“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!” Trump wrote in a social media post.
The Republican U.S. president, who pulled out of a 2015 multination nuclear deal with Tehran during his first White House term, noted that his last warning to Iran was followed by a military strike.
“The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” Trump wrote. He also said another “armada” is floating toward Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not been in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requesting negotiations, state media reported earlier on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Iran has issued a Notice to Airmen (Notam) announcing live-fire military activity in airspace near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after US military assets arrived in the Middle East, reflecting heightened tensions in the region. The aviation warning, published on Tuesday, said Iranian forces will carry out live-fire exercises from 27 to 29 January within a five-nautical-mile radius around the strait.
The notice said that the airspace in the designated area – from ground level up to 25,000 feet – will be restricted and considered hazardous for the duration of the activity.
Separately, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during a call on Tuesday that Riyadh would not allow attacks on Iran to be launched from its soil MBS “affirmed during the call the kingdom’s position on respecting the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that the Kingdom will not allow its airspace or its territory to be used for any military actions against” Iran, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Saudi crown prince also affirmed Riyadh’s support for any efforts aimed at resolving disputes through dialogue. During the telephonic conversation, the Iranian president told the Saudi crown prince that US threats against Tehran would only result in instability. “The threats and psychological operations of the Americans are aimed at disrupting the security of the region and will achieve nothing other than instability for them,” Pezeshkian told the Saudi crown prince, according to his office.
Pezeshkian told MBS that the “unity and cohesion” of Islamic countries can guarantee “lasting security, stability and peace in the region”.