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U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Friday that it "must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire," following Israeli airstrikes that killed military leaders and nuclear scientists.
"No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," Trump wrote on Truth Social the morning after Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets.
"I think it's been excellent," Trump said to ABC News, adding: "We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more."
When asked if the United States participated in the attack in any way, Trump responded by saying "I don't want to comment on that."
Stating that he "gave Iran a chance" for diplomacy, Trump said that despite "how close they got, they just couldn't get" a deal done.
The president said he had warned Iranian officials that the situation would deteriorate "much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told."
Trump emphasized that the U.S. "BY FAR" produces the world's most advanced and powerful military equipment and that Israel possesses "a lot of it."
"They (Israel) also have the capability and readiness to deploy it effectively," the U.S. president stated.
"Certain Iranian hardliner's spoke bravely" before the recent events unfolded, Trump wrote, adding: "They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse."
In the wake of "the great death and destruction" in Iran, Trump said there is still a window of opportunity to halt "this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal."
Israel launched a sweeping military operation against Iran early Friday, with 200 planes targeting its nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities. Senior military officials and nuclear scientists were killed in the attack.
Israel has expanded its military operation to include strikes on Shiraz city in central Iran and Khuzestan province, which borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, Iranian state television reported.
State television's Khuzestan correspondent reported hearing several explosions in the province, though no official statement has been issued.
Israeli forces conducted a second strike on the Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan province, according to Iranian state television. The facility had been targeted earlier in the pre-dawn attacks.
Initial reports indicated no radiation leaks at the nuclear facility following the first strike.
Iran has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following Israel's attacks, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.
In an urgent letter to the UNSC, Iran's Permanent Mission to the U.N. condemned Israel's "attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran and assassinations of military officials."
Iran's U.N. mission demanded that Israel be held responsible for these attacks and called for an urgent Security Council meeting. Iranian state media reported that residential areas in Tehran were also hit, with numerous civilian casualties including women and children.
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