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US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has warned Iran that “time is running out” for the country to negotiate a deal over its nuclear programme, as Washington steps up military pressure following weeks of unrest inside the Islamic republic.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was moving towards the region and stood ready to act if Tehran failed to engage in talks.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“Time is running out, it is truly of the essence,” the US President added.
Referring to US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during last June’s 12-day war between Iran and Israel (a conflict in which Washington intervened and attacked Iran), Trump warned that any future attack would be even more destructive.
The Iranian Health Ministry reported that around 1,062 people were killed in Israeli and US strikes in July. Many senior Iranian political and military leaders and scientists were killed.
In Israel, 29 people were killed following Iranian missile strikes.
“The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” Trump said.
Fianna Fáil TD Barry Andrews remarked that the “world is really fed up of Trump’s forever wars”.
In a post to social media, he added that the “people of Iran must determine their future” and that Europe “must help them and can do more”.
“Bombing Tehran yet again will only solidify the regime,” said Andrews.
🌎 The world is really fed up of Trump's forever wars.
— Barry Andrews MEP (@BarryAndrewsMEP) January 28, 2026
The people of #Iran must determine their future.
🇪🇺 Europe must help them, and can do more.
But bombing #Tehran yet again will only solidify the regime. pic.twitter.com/eVdOmjRlFS
Trump’s comments come amid an ongoing crackdown by Iranian authorities following nationwide protests that erupted in late December and peaked earlier this month.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has verified 6,221 deaths linked to the unrest, including 5,856 protesters, 100 minors, 214 members of the security forces and 49 bystanders.
The group said it is also investigating a further 17,091 possible fatalities, warning that the true toll could be far higher amid an internet shutdown that has hampered verification efforts.
At least 42,324 people have been arrested, according to HRANA, which said security forces were searching hospitals for wounded protesters, a development it described as signalling “new dimensions of the continued security crackdown”.
Earlier today, Iran executed a man arrested in April 2025 on charges of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, the judiciary said.
Rights groups have expressed concern that protesters could also face the death penalty as trials begin.
Iranian officials have rejected the idea of negotiations under military pressure.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said diplomacy “cannot be effective or useful” if conducted through threats.
“If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues,” he said in televised remarks, adding that Iran had not sought talks and that he had no recent contact with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Habibollah Sayyari, warned Washington against any “miscalculation”, saying the US would also “suffer damage” in the event of a conflict.
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations said Tehran was open to dialogue based on “mutual respect and interests”, but warned that if pushed, it would defend itself and “respond like never before”.
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.
— I.R.IRAN Mission to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) January 28, 2026
Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE! pic.twitter.com/k3fVEv1rus
The Iranian mission, warning against US intervention, also referenced the United States’ casualties and expenditures in its past two wars.
“Last time the US blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives,” the mission said.
A US defence official confirmed that a naval strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in Middle East waters.
Trump described the deployment as larger than the force previously sent to Venezuela, where US troops captured former leader Nicolás Maduro during a recent operation.
Iran has meanwhile reached out to US allies in the Middle East in an apparent bid to ease tensions.
Following a call between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iranian officials held talks with counterparts in Qatar and Egypt.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said it supported “all efforts aimed at reducing escalation and achieving peaceful solutions”.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the need to intensify efforts to “ease tensions and work towards de-escalation” and create the conditions for dialogue between Washington and Tehran.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also warned against renewed conflict, saying it was “wrong to attack Iran” and calling on the US to reopen talks over the nuclear standoff.
While Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, Western governments believe it is aimed at developing an atomic bomb. US officials say strikes carried out last June (dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer”) significantly set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, a claim Iran has disputed.
Additional reporting from AFP
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