WASHINGTON, May 18: President Donald Trump yesterday warned Iran "there won't be anything left of them" if Tehran does not quickly agree to a peace deal with the United States.
"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!," he wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump is expected to hold a Situation Room meeting tomorrow with his top national security advisers to discuss the options for military action regarding Iran, Axios reported, citing two US officials.
Washington, locked in conflict with Tehran since US and Israeli forces launched major strikes on the Islamic republic beginning February 28, has struggled to break an impasse and make any progress toward ending a war that has shaken the Middle East and sent energy prices climbing. Iranian media said yesterday the United States had failed to make any concrete concessions in its latest response to Iran's proposed agenda for negotiations to end the war.
The Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.
Meanwhile, a drone strike triggered a fire near a nuclear power station in the emirate of Abu Dhabi yesterday, authorities said, reporting no injuries or impact on radiation levels.
The UAE's defence ministry said the drone that targeted the facility was one of three that "entered the country from the western border direction".
The projectile struck "an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra area".
"Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the attacks, and updates will be disclosed upon completion of the investigations," the ministry added. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash appeared to refer to Iran and its regional proxy groups in his condemnation of the attack, reports AFP.
In a statement on X on Saturday night, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said the world is "at the cusp of a new order", describing accelerating global transformations. Ghalibaf, who recently emerged as a chief negotiator in talks with the United States, has been appointed to oversee relations with China, Iranian media reported yesterday.
Ghalibaf has held a meeting with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and briefly discussed the deadlocked peace talks between the US and Iran.
He chastised "regional governments [who] thought that the presence of America would bring them security, but recent events showed that this presence not only does not bring security, but also creates insecurity", as reported by Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency. "AGENCIES
