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U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark ultimatum to Tehran, announcing that a "massive Armada" is currently en route to Iran with orders to strike if negotiations do not resume immediately.
In a statement released Wednesday, Trump confirmed that the fleet, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, is moving with "great power, enthusiasm, and purpose."
Drawing a comparison to recent U.S. military movements in Latin America, Trump emphasized the scale of this deployment.
"It is a larger fleet... than that sent to Venezuela," Trump stated. "Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary."
The president made it clear that the primary goal is to force Iran back to the negotiating table for a "fair and equitable deal" focused on "no nuclear weapons." However, he warned that time is of the essence.
Trump referenced a previous military engagement from last June, dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," reminding Tehran of the consequences of refusing earlier talks.
"They didn’t (make a deal), and there was 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' a major destruction of Iran," Trump wrote.
"The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again."
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Trump’s threat refers to the covert operation launched on June 21, when seven B-2 stealth bombers took off secretly from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
Refueled multiple times over the Atlantic Ocean, the B-2s were joined by other fighter jets on June 22 as they headed toward Iran. Simultaneously, a U.S. submarine deployed in the region launched Tomahawk missiles at a nuclear facility in Isfahan.
During the operation, the bombers targeted the Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities. For the first time in combat history, the U.S. Air Force deployed 14 GBU-57 "Massive Ordnance Penetrator" bombs, designed to destroy deeply buried bunkers.
Following the strike, the aircraft returned safely to the U.S. In a national address at the time, Trump declared, "Three nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan have been completely destroyed."
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