US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran as negotiations to end the conflict between the two countries stall.
In a Sunday morning post on his platform Truth Social, President Trump warned that time is running out before a new wave of U.S. military action begins.
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“For Iran, the clock is ticking. We better move quickly, or there will be nothing left,” Trump said in a short two-sentence message. “Time is of the essence!”
The post was the latest example of violent rhetoric against Iran as the Trump administration struggles to achieve its war goals.
Just the day before, President Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself on a warship, labeling it “the calm before the storm.”
The conflict began on February 28, when Israel and the United States jointly attacked Iran.
Since then, President Trump has set out a variety of goals for the resulting war, including eliminating Iran’s missile arsenal, severing relations with regional allies and ending its nuclear enrichment program.
On April 7, President Trump linked these demands to social media posts suggesting massive destruction in Iran. Critics have likened the post to a call for genocide.
“Tonight, an entire civilization will perish and never rise again. I don’t want it to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote.
Within hours of this post, the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire that has continued ever since, although both sides accuse the other of violating it.
The US president has previously threatened to attack civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges, which legal experts have warned could violate the Geneva Conventions.
Separately, President Trump said in an interview with Fox News in May that if Iranian officials attacked U.S. ships, they would be “blown off the face of the earth.”
Iran has condemned the rhetoric and rejected Trump’s demands as excessive.
Iran’s government-backed Mehr News Agency said in a statement on Sunday that the United States had not offered “clear concessions” in its latest offer.
He also accused the United States of trying to “obtain concessions not obtained during the war,” a strategy that would “lead to a deadlock in negotiations.”
Separately, Iranian military spokesman Abolfazl Shakarchi reportedly warned the US against further threats.
“Repeating any folly to make up for America’s disgrace in the Third War with Iran will only cause more devastating and severe damage,” he told Mair.
Al Jazeera correspondent Armigdad Al-Hayed said in a report from Tehran that the Iranian government has shown that it will not tolerate violent rhetoric from the United States.
“As far as we understand, this kind of language is not acceptable here in Tehran. Instead of reacting immediately to this kind of rhetoric, they are showing a defiant attitude,” Al-Hayed said.
He added that increasingly hostile statements from both sides indicate the ceasefire may be in imminent danger of collapsing.
“Behind this rhetoric is a recognition that the current diplomatic window is narrowing,” Alheid said.
“We know there are tough words and tough messages from both sides. There’s a finger on the trigger on both sides.”
However, foreign policy analyst Adam Clements told Al Jazeera there may be a “domestic element” to Trump’s tough rhetoric, including a series of recent messages.
“Of course Iran will have to take it seriously,” Clements said of Sunday’s post.
“At the same time, President Trump is also known for his bombastic tweets and bombastic statements, perhaps aimed at a domestic audience.”
Clements added that it will be important to watch whether President Trump’s comments are echoed by officials in the coming days and whether they coincide with an increase in military activity.
“The White House Press Office has been known in the past for posting these kinds of bizarre and AI-generated memes and comics,” he explained.
“So I think sometimes we need to try to ignore the political noise and the charade here and really pay attention to these clear signals.”
