President Donald Trump amped up pressure on Iran on Wednesday, highlighting a “massive Armada” recently deployed to the region to force Tehran to the bargaining table over a deal that would end its nuclear weapons program.
The president’s social media post is the latest show of force in the international arena for a White House emboldened by a successful military operation in Caracas, Venezuela.
“It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
The president has taken a hard line on Iran — whose leadership has been rocked by nationwide protests in recent weeks — since returning to the White House last year. In June, Trump authorized strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in an operation dubbed “Midnight Hammer,” later claiming that he had “obliterated” the country’s nuclear program.
In recent weeks, the president has advocated for “new leadership” in Iran and threatened to use force when the regime responded with violence to the protests.
But experts caution that Trump may have fewer viable military options than in Venezuela, where American forces captured authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro from his bedroom and flew him to the U.S. to face narco-trafficking charges.
“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,” he said. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran.”
“The next attack will be far worse!,” he continued. “Don’t make that happen again.”
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations linked Trump’s threat to previous American incursions in the Middle East.
“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 mission wrote on X. “Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”