Donald Trump Threatens Iran with Military Escalation
Donald Trump is trying to put pressure on Tehran. While the discussions between the United States and Iran remain deadlocked, the American president issued multiple threats against the Islamic Republic on Sunday, May 17, hinting at the possibility of a new military escalation.
“Iran is running out of time,” Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. “They better act fast, or there will be nothing left of them.”
For several weeks, Washington has been trying to reach an agreement to end the conflict that began on February 28 and to regulate Iran’s nuclear program. Despite a truce reached in early April, the negotiations continue to stagnate.
According to several Iranian media outlets, the latest discussions did not result in any major breakthroughs. The Mehr agency claims that the United States did not make any “concrete concessions” in response to Iranian proposals.
Washington reportedly demands significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities. The Americans allegedly want Iran to only keep one active nuclear site and transfer its stock of highly enriched uranium to the United States. Tehran, on the other hand, was seeking a partial release of its frozen assets abroad and reparations for damages caused by the war. These requests have been rejected, according to media close to the Iranian government.
New Meeting on Tuesday
It is in this context that Donald Trump seems to want to increase pressure before any resumption of discussions. Speaking to Axios, the American president stated that Iran would be “hit much harder” if a better proposal was not presented quickly.
According to the American media, Donald Trump is set to convene his top national security officials on Tuesday, May 19, to discuss several military options. The American president also reportedly spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
Despite this harsher rhetoric, diplomacy has not been completely abandoned. Pakistan and Qatar continue their mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran.
