Trump says 'hopefully' won't need military action against Iran

US President Donald Trump said "hopefully", he won't need military action against Iran.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened Iran with an attack "far worse" than the strikes he ordered against the country's nuclear sites in June if Tehran doesn't agree to a deal to curb its  nuclear programme.

The US leader has earlier escalated tensions with Iran, warning that “time is running out” for Tehran to negotiate a deal on its nuclear program as a large US naval force approaches the region.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that a “massive armada,” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, was moving swiftly toward Iran “with great power, enthusiasm and purpose,” and described the group as larger than the fleet previously sent to Venezuela.

In his post, Trump urged Iran to return to nuclear talks on terms that would bar it from acquiring nuclear weapons, saying: “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.”

He added that the United States is prepared to act “with speed and violence, if necessary.”

Trump also referenced past military action, asserting that Iran failed to negotiate previously and that the United States followed that failure with “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a reference to the June 2025 strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

He warned that “the next attack will be far worse.”

The president’s remarks signal a shift in focus from protesting Iran’s domestic crackdown to the nuclear issue, with the military buildup now framed as pressure on Tehran to accept US terms rather than purely a response to internal unrest.

Iran has responded strongly to the threats, with its mission to the United Nations saying that Tehran is open to dialogue “based on mutual respect and interests,” but that it would defend itself and “respond like never before” if pushed into conflict.

Iranian officials have condemned the use of military threats as a basis for negotiations.

The arrival of the carrier strike group in the region has heightened regional anxiety, as Tehran mobilises its own defences.

Iran warned that further escalation could be seen as an act of war. Iran’s top diplomat reiterated that military pressure cannot replace constructive diplomacy.

Analysts warn that the situation could spiral into open conflict if diplomatic channels are closed, with the presence of a substantial US carrier strike group raising the stakes in an already volatile standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional influence.

Geopolitical analysts warn that what unfolds next could span from calibrated shows of force to a spiral of regional chaos with consequences that ricochet far beyond the Middle East.

The war of words between Washington and Tehran has escalated rapidly since waves of protest swept Iran, prompting Trump to threaten military action over what he called a brutal crackdown.

Tehran has accused Washington of stoking unrest, branding the demonstrations “riots” engineered from abroad.

The standoff has sent diplomatic shock waves across the region, triggering urgent calls for negotiation as key regional powers scramble to contain the fallout.

Yet while potential US targets — ranging from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to missile installations and nuclear facilities — are largely predictable, the trajectory of events remains anything but.

Experts cited by the BBC and the Atlantic Council are stark in their assessment: there is no clean scenario, no stable endgame — only outcomes that grow more volatile the longer the confrontation endures.

[Witb inputs from AFP]