President Trump warns Iran that “the clock is ticking,” after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the possible resumption of hostilities in Iran.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
President Donald Trump warned Iran on Sunday that it must move quickly toward a deal or face renewed and heavier military action, as US officials prepare to review military options amid stalled negotiations to end the war.
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account.
Trump later told Axios in a phone call that he still believed Tehran wanted an agreement, but said its latest position was not acceptable.
“We want to make a deal. They are not where we want them to be. They will have to get there or they will be hit badly, and they don’t want that,” Trump said.
He said the US would hit Iran “much harder than before” if Tehran did not return with a better proposal.
“The clock is ticking. They better get moving fast or they are not gonna have anything left,” Trump said.
The warning came as US officials said Trump is expected to convene his top national security advisers in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss possible military action.
Trump also spoke Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Iran file.
Trump met Saturday with senior members of his national security team at his Virginia golf club, according to Axios. The meeting included Vice President JD Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The White House is still pursuing a negotiated end to the conflict, but US officials say Iran has rejected major American demands and has not made meaningful concessions on its nuclear program.
Trump declined to give Axios a firm deadline for the talks, but his public and private comments marked one of his sharpest threats since the ceasefire took hold.
Regional mediators are still trying to keep diplomacy alive. Pakistan, which has served as the official mediator between Washington and Tehran, sent its interior minister to Iran over the weekend for talks with senior Iranian leaders.
Qatar is also involved, with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaking Sunday with his Pakistani counterpart and with Iran’s foreign minister.
Iran said Monday that talks were continuing through Pakistan and that Tehran had responded to a US proposal via the Pakistani channel, Al Jazeera reported.
The renewed pressure on Iran followed a drone strike Sunday near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, a major escalation in the Gulf.
The UAE Defense Ministry said three drones entered the country’s airspace from the western border; two were intercepted, while one struck and damaged an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter.
The UAE said there was no radiological impact.
Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed told International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi that radiation safety levels were unaffected, according to the UAE Foreign Ministry.
Abu Dhabi has not formally accused Iran of launching the drones. But Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, pointed to Tehran or its allies.
“The targeting of the Barakah nuclear energy plant, whether carried out directly by the principal actor or through one of its proxies, represents a dangerous escalation and a dark development that violates all international laws and norms, with criminal disregard for the lives of civilians in the UAE and its surroundings,” Gargash wrote on X.
He later said the attack would not intimidate the UAE.
“No one will twist the UAE’s arm, nor will they succeed in undermining its vision, its success, and its inspiring message of security, stability, development and prosperity to the peoples of the region,” Gargash said.
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