Friday June 13, 2025|
United States, US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Friday, June 13, to agree to a nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” suggesting in a social media post that subsequent Israeli attacks on the country will be “even more brutal.”
The post marked Trump’s first public comments since Israel launched strikes on Iran targeting its nuclear program and military leaders, with the US president saying he had tried to steer Iranian leaders toward diplomacy, but they failed to act at great cost.
“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done,” Trump wrote.
President Trump wrote that Iranian leaders “didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!”
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left,” Trump added.
In contrast to Trump’s aggressive tone, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to distance the US from the Israeli action, clarifying in a statement late Thursday that the US had no involvement in the strikes.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said.
The Trump administration is, meanwhile, still hoping that a sixth round of nuclear deal talks with the Iranians will take place in Oman on Sunday as previously scheduled, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was in touch with the Omanis overnight in an effort to keep the plans for this weekend on track, sources said. But those sources acknowledged that holding the talks this weekend is highly unlikely. Oman has facilitated the US-Iran talks to date.
Despite several rounds of talks between Iran and the US to thrash out a new nuclear deal, major sticking points remain, with Iran insisting on its right to nuclear enrichment. Trump said earlier this week that he’s grown less confident of being able to strike a deal, saying in an interview earlier this week that Tehran could be “delaying” an agreement.
