Trump Threatens Iran With a Far Worse Attack, "Make a Deal!"

Trump paired renewed diplomatic demands with overt military signaling, telling Iran on Wednesday to negotiate a nuclear deal or face escalation. Writing on his social media on Truth Social, he urged Tehran to accept a “No Nuclear Weapon” deal, warning that “Time is running out” He warned bluntly: “The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”

The comments followed his reminder that a previous warning had preceded June airstrikes by Israeli and U.S. forces on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Trump confirmed that a U.S. naval force led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is approaching Iran. Two U.S. officials told Reuters earlier this week that the Lincoln and its supporting warships had already arrived in the Middle East after redeploying from the Asia-Pacific region last week.

Trump amplified the message on Truth Social, describing a “massive Armada” moving with “great power,” a message with similar content to his warning a day earlier on his speech about “another beautiful armada heading toward Iran.”

Competing Narratives on Escalation Control

The administration framed the deployment as leverage to compel negotiations, while Iran signaled resistance. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not been in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days and had not requested talks, according to state media. Iranian officials also warned that any U.S. strike would provoke a “swift and comprehensive” response.

Trump, who withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear accord during his first term, said Washington would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear program following the June strikes. He also linked the current posture to recent unrest inside Iran, where protests over economic hardship and political repression flared before subsiding. Trump previously threatened intervention if protesters continued to be killed, later softening his tone after saying on “good authority” that the killings had stopped and plans for mass executions were canceled.

On U.S. television, the pressure campaign took on a sharper edge. Sean Hannity said there were claims that Iran’s leadership was seeking last-minute contact with Trump. Senator Lindsey Graham responded with laughter, suggesting Tehran’s fallback option involved “planes on a tarmac probably filled with billions of dollars they have stolen from from the people of Iran”, jockingly implying that the regime would flee the country when the U.S. hits.

Domestic Politics, External Signals

Trump’s messaging combined diplomacy, deterrence, and domestic political theater. In Iowa, he reiterated that Iran “should have made a deal the first time,” arguing that failure to do so had already brought “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which he described as inflicting “major destruction of Iran.” He again warned that the next phase would be worse if Tehran does not comply.

The military movements come amid continued uncertainty over talks. Iran has said it will not negotiate under pressure, while U.S. officials have signaled conditional openness to diplomacy. The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln, coupled with repeated public ultimatums, underscores Washington’s reliance on visible force projection to shape Tehran’s calculations, even as channels for formal negotiation appear inactive.