Donald Trump has warned Iran against developing nuclear weapons or “the next attack will be worse.” Posting on Truth Social, the President said US ships are heading to the country amid fears he could launch an attack.

In a lengthy post, Donald Trump claimed a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was moving rapidly towards Iran, warning it was “ready, willing, and able” to carry out its mission “with speed and violence” if necessary. Trump urged Tehran to return to talks and strike what he called a “fair and equitable deal” to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, warning that time was “truly of the essence”. He also referenced a previous US military operation against Iran, saying any future strike would be “far worse”. His comments came after Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not return to negotiations while under the threat of military action, signalling little immediate chance of talks resuming.

The exchange has fuelled fears of further escalation, following last year’s US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities – an operation Trump pointed to when warning of the consequences of failing to reach a deal.

Mr Trump’s full post read:

“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.

“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! 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! Don’t make that happen again.”

Tensions have continued to rise as the US steps up its military presence in the Middle East, with the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and supporting vessels already moving into the region amid growing concern over Tehran’s next move.

Iran has repeatedly denied pursuing nuclear weapons and has warned it would respond forcefully to any attack, with senior officials saying any strike would be treated as an “all-out war.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has insisted negotiations cannot take place “alongside threats”, saying talks were only possible when there were no “menaces and excessive demands”.

Earlier this month, Araghchi warned that Iran was prepared for war if the United States chose to “test” it.

The warnings come against the backdrop of nationwide protests that erupted in Iran in late December 2025 over economic hardship, which ballooned into one of the largest waves of unrest in years as demonstrators called for political change.

The unrest has seen thousands reportedly killed or arrested as security forces cracked down on demonstrations.”

Earlier this month, Trump said the United States could intervene to protect protesters, warning that if Iranian security forces continued to kill demonstrators or carried out mass executions, the US would take “very strong action”.