President Donald Trump put Tehran on direct notice Monday, making clear the window for Iran to deliver an acceptable nuclear agreement is rapidly closing and that far heavier military consequences await if the regime continues to stall.
Trump took his warning public on Truth Social, writing that Iran had better “get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” capping the post with “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
He followed that up in a phone interview with Axios, telling the outlet that if Tehran fails to substantially improve its negotiating position, “they are going to get hit much harder.”
Trump said he still believes Iran wants a deal but made clear the regime must rapidly produce a stronger proposal if it hopes to avoid significantly harsher U.S. action.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said Monday that “nothing has changed” in U.S. policy toward Iran, reaffirming that Tehran must abandon its nuclear ambitions “for good.”
Kelly stated that Iran cannot retain enriched uranium, identifying that demand as a firm red line alongside a complete halt to Iran’s nuclear program.
The talks have repeatedly broken down over core disagreements.
Iran rejected U.S. demands regarding its nuclear program and stockpile of highly enriched uranium, instead proposing separate negotiations and offering to dilute some enriched uranium and transfer the remainder to a third country — with a provision that it be returned if Washington exits any eventual deal.
Trump expressed frustration with Iran’s shifting positions during the negotiations, saying Iranian negotiators had indicated they would allow the U.S. to retrieve Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium but then omitted that concession from their formal response.
“They did two days ago,” Trump said. “But they changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper.”
Trump also made his terms on duration explicit, stating that any suspension of Iranian nuclear activity must carry real guarantees: “It’s got to be a real 20 years, not a fake 20.”
With diplomacy stalled, senior officials are preparing for harder options.
Trump is expected to convene his national security team Tuesday in the White House Situation Room to discuss options for military action against Iran, according to Axios, citing two American officials.
The U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran has now entered its 11th week, with gas prices continuing to climb amid a double naval blockade choking the Strait of Hormuz.
On the ground, Israel continued operations across the region. The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed an airstrike in Lebanon killed Wael Mahmoud Abd al-Halim, identified as the Islamic Jihad commander for the Beqaa region.
The IDF reported conducting 30 strikes across Lebanon in a 24-hour span, targeting what it called militant infrastructure — including “a weapon storage facility, observation posts, and structures from which the Hezbollah terrorist organization operated in order to advance terror attacks against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel.”
Tensions also escalated in the Gulf, threatening the stability of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.
A drone attack triggered a fire at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, with one drone striking an electrical generator outside the facility’s inner perimeter. Two of the three attacking drones were shot down.
No radiation increase was detected and no injuries were reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was closely monitoring the situation and called for “maximum military restraint” near nuclear facilities.
UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr. Sultan Al Jaber released a pointed statement following the strike.
“The targeting of Barakah is a terrorist attack on a peaceful project, built to the highest safety standards, that powers homes, hospitals, and industries across the UAE, and on the right of every nation to build, to progress, and to deliver clean energy to its people. Barakah will keep running,” Al Jaber said.
He continued: “The UAE will keep building. Our resolve only grows stronger.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson declared the UAE an “immediate operational target” in any future conflict, escalating rhetoric even as Iran submitted a new 14-point proposal to negotiators.
Saudi Arabia announced it intercepted and destroyed three drones that entered its airspace from Iraq, warning it reserved the right to respond “at the appropriate time and place.”
