U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed threats to “obliterate” Iran, two and a half months into the military conflict pitting the U.S. and Israel against the Islamic Republic. The warnings come alongside a drone strike near a nuclear facility in the United Arab Emirates—developments that have pushed global oil prices higher in early Monday trading.
Taking to Truth Social on Sunday, Trump warned that “nothing will be left” of Iran if its government fails to quickly secure a deal with Washington. Direct communication between the two adversaries has stalled since a fruitless initial meeting in Pakistan in mid-April.
“For Iran, the clock is ticking,” Trump stated, adding that the Iranians “better act fast, otherwise there will be nothing left of them.” The Republican leader had previously threatened in early April to destroy “an entire civilization” before a brief ceasefire was enacted.
Despite a month-long pause in heavy fighting, the prospects of a diplomatic resolution to the conflict—which erupted on February 28—remain distant. Trump recently dismissed Tehran’s May 10 peace proposal as “completely unacceptable.”
Iran issues counter-warnings
Prior to Trump’s social media posts, Tehran issued its own warnings to Washington.
“The American president must know that if Iran is attacked again, his country’s resources and military will face unprecedented, aggressive, and disruptive scenarios,” warned Iranian armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi. Meanwhile, Hamidreza Haji-Babai, the deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, threatened that any targeting of Iranian oil infrastructure would be met with retaliatory strikes against regional energy installations.
Across the Gulf, a fire broke out on Sunday following a drone strike near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates. While UAE officials confirmed the strike caused no casualties or elevated radiation levels, they condemned it as a “dangerous escalation.” Saudi Arabia slammed the incident as a “threat to regional security and stability.” The UAE Ministry of Defense stated that two additional drones were successfully intercepted.
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