Fast forward to the present day, and Trump is threatening an even bigger attack, and backing up the threat with a large-scale movement of US military assets, including an aircraft carrier, towards Iranian waters. Trump says that these threats are his way of convincing the Iranians to agree to a deal reported to include demands to effectively end Iran's nuclear programme, limit its ballistic missile programme, and stop support for allies across the Middle East.
President Donald Trump has revived the threat that the United States is ready to launch a military attack against Iran as he demanded that Tehran make a deal over its nuclear programme. A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose, he said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. He added: Hopefully Iran will quickly Come to the Table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn't, and there was Operation Midnight Hammer, a major destruction of Iran.
On Wednesday, it emerged that some personnel have been advised to leave the United States military's al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening, heightening fears of a US strike and potential Iranian retaliation. Protests in Iran began in late December 2025 over Iran's worsening economic conditions. Since then, however, they have escalated into a broader challenge to the country's clerical leadership, which has been in power since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Pointing to last year's US strikes on Iran's three major nuclear sites which subsequent satellite imagery suggested caused more limited damage than Trump had claimed Leavitt said of Trump's potential use of US military force: Nobody knows that better than Iran. Leavitt also said that Iran's private and public messaging to the US had been quite different, adding: I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages. She did not elaborate on the nature of the messages.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) had a rather bold suggestion for his pal President Donald Trump: he should just kill Iran's supreme leader. Graham shared his Iran strategy with Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo during an interview on Sunday Morning Futures. The senator called Ali Khamenei the modern-day Hitler and a religious Nazi who the Iranian people would love to see snuffed out.
Iranian-born author and professor Trita Parsi joins Centre Stage to unpack the tumultuous history between the US and Iran, Iran's nuclear ambitions and its role as a strategic player in an increasingly divided world. He also breaks down Tehran's relationships with groups like Hezbollah and Hamas and how those alliances have shaped its regional position. Parsi is also the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
In 1953, the C.I.A. backed a coup that ousted Mohammad Mossadegh, restoring power to the monarchy of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah. This marked a significant turning point in U.S.-Iran relations, cementing the Shah as a steady ally while the U.S. benefitted from Iran's oil revenues.
President Trump expressed strong discontent towards media coverage, particularly criticizing reports from the New York Times and CNN regarding U.S. military actions in Iran, calling them fake news and harmful to military morale.
