THE FUSE

Donald Trump has warned Iran that "time is running out" to negotiate a deal on nuclear weapons following the steady build up of US military forces in the Gulf.

The US president said a "massive Armada" was "moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose" towards Iran in a post on his Truth Social platform.

It comes after Trump said he would "rescue" protesters involved in the brutal and unprecedented crackdown on demonstrations in Iran earlier this month.

On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful."

"If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues," Araghchi said in televised remarks, translated by the AFP news agency.

"Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS," Trump wrote.

The US president said the fleet in the Gulf was "larger" than the one sent to Venezuela and that it was "ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary".

Referring to the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites - launched during Israel's 12-day war with Israel last year - Trump warned: "The next attack will be far worse! Don't make that happen again."

Using open source tools, BBC Verify has been able to track some of the US deployments to the area. A US defence official confirmed to BBC Verify that a naval "armada" led by the USS Abraham Lincoln had also arrived in the Middle East.

In June 2025, US strikes targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

American officials then said the operation - codename "Midnight Hammer" - had significantly set back the prospect of Tehran building a nuclear weapon.

Shortly after the strikes, Trump made a televised address and said future attacks would be "far greater" if Iran did not agree to a deal.

Iran has repeatedly denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons.