Donald Trump has threatened to launch a large-scale attack on Iran as his administration faces condemnation over the unrest in Minneapolis.
In a typically deranged Truth Social post just after 7 a.m. ET, the 79-year-old president warned that a “massive armada” is heading toward the Middle Eastern country and moving “quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose.”
“It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary,” Trump wrote.
“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.”
The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to face criticism over its response to the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis.
The fallout over the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, has also sparked a civil war within the administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi “ICE Barbie” Noem has blamed White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller for wanting to push the false narrative that Pretti had wanted to “massacre” Border Patrol agents before he was shot and killed.
Videos also show that Pretti never attempted to attack federal law enforcement, and that a handgun he was legally allowed to carry had been confiscated before he was shot multiple times.
Trump also threatened Minneapolis’ Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday morning after he told border czar Tom Homan that the city would continue its policy of not enforcing federal immigration law.
“This is after having had a very good conversation with him. Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!” Trump wrote at 8:23 am ET.
Trump, who launched airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025, has increased pressure on Tehran amid a government-led crackdown in which thousands of protesters have been killed during pro-democracy demonstrations.
A large-scale U.S. naval deployment led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has been sent to the Middle East as a show of force, as Trump renews his threats against Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei warned on Monday that there will be a “comprehensive and regret-inducing response to any aggression” following the U.S. military movements.
Trump previously warned that the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and ready to strike if the killings of protesters continued.
Trump later appeared to retreat from those threats, telling reporters at the White House on Jan. 14 that he had been “notified” Iran had stopped the killings without specifying the source of that information.
White House officials have since stressed that an attack on Iran remains on the table, even as the protests have largely been suppressed.
Trump reignited those threats in his first threatening Wednesday morning Truth Social rant, referring to the June strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.
“As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
While officials believe the strike on Fordow severely damaged Iran’s nuclear program, the attacks on Isfahan and Natanz were far less extensive than Trump has claimed, with both sites potentially able to resume nuclear enrichment within months.
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