President Donald Trump warned Sunday that the “clock is ticking” for Iran to strike a deal to bring the conflict to an end, urging Tehran to move quickly toward an agreement as he warned the regime risks being “hit badly” if negotiations continue to stall amid mounting questions over whether diplomacy can prevent renewed fighting.
Writing on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump warned Tehran that “the Clock is Ticking,” declaring that Iran had better “get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”
“TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump added.
Speaking in a phone interview with Axios later on Sunday, Trump said he still believes Iran wants a deal but warned Tehran must quickly present a stronger proposal if it hopes to avoid renewed and significantly harsher U.S. action.
“We want to make a deal,” Trump said, while signaling frustration with Tehran’s current position in the negotiations. “They are not where we need them to be.”
Trump then warned: “They will have to get there or they will be hit badly.”
Trump separately told Israel’s Channel 13 that “the Iranians should be afraid of what’s going on right now.”
Trump’s latest public warning came shortly after a more than 30-minute phone call Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the two leaders discussed Iran and broader regional developments following Trump’s return from China.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan later reported the leaders discussed the possibility of renewed military action against Iran as negotiations remained stalled and the fragile ceasefire continued facing mounting pressure.
Israeli news outlet Ynet, citing an Israeli official, separately reported that the question of renewed military action remains unresolved and Trump still has not made a final decision.
“He needs to be at peace with the decision himself,” the official said. “And if he decides to resume the fighting, Israel will likely be asked to join.”
The discussions unfolded as reports increasingly pointed toward Washington and Jerusalem weighing possible next steps should diplomacy ultimately collapse.
CNN and Axios reported Sunday that Trump met on Saturday with senior members of his national security team following his return from China to discuss Iran and possible next steps, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and envoy Steve Witkoff.
According to CNN, the meeting took place at Trump’s Virginia golf club and focused on both diplomatic and military options as administration officials weighed how to proceed amid increasingly strained negotiations.
Multiple reports also said Trump is expected to convene another meeting Tuesday in the White House Situation Room as deliberations continue over possible military action and the broader path forward.
The latest discussions followed a New York Times report published on Friday that stated the United States and Israel were carrying out what it described as their most intensive preparations since the ceasefire for possible renewed operations should diplomacy fail.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday, citing a senior Israeli official, that preparations were underway for what could amount to “days to weeks of fighting” depending on Trump’s decisions regarding negotiations.
“The Americans understand that negotiations with Iran are going nowhere,” the official said.
Regional intelligence officials cited by Fox News on Sunday separately said Tehran believes Trump could resume military action and has adopted what they described as a strategy of “deception and delay” designed to buy time and complicate any renewed campaign.
Trump’s warnings toward Iran have steadily escalated over the past week as negotiations increasingly appeared deadlocked and the administration signaled growing frustration with Tehran’s latest proposal.
Last week, Trump described Iran’s latest response as “garbage” and “totally unacceptable,” while warning the ceasefire itself was on “massive life support.”
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday while returning from Beijing, Trump signaled continued frustration with Tehran’s latest proposal and suggested the sides remained far apart on several core issues.
Asked about Iran’s latest response, Trump said he quickly dismissed portions of the proposal after concluding Tehran remained unwilling to make concessions the administration considers non-negotiable.
“Well, I looked at it, and if I don’t like the first sentence, I just throw it away,” Trump said.
Trump also reiterated that while he could support a long-term suspension of Iranian nuclear activity, any arrangement would require what he described as meaningful guarantees.
“It’s got to be a real 20 years, not a fake 20,” Trump said.
Trump has increasingly cast doubt on Tehran’s credibility as negotiations have dragged on, repeatedly suggesting Iranian officials shifted positions or backed away from understandings discussed during talks.
Speaking last week, Trump said Iranian negotiators had indicated they would permit the United States to retrieve Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile before omitting the concession from their formal response.
“They did two days ago,” Trump said when asked whether Iran had agreed to relinquish the material. “But they changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper.”
Reports Sunday suggested the sides remain deeply divided despite ongoing mediation efforts, with Iranian state and semi-official media outlining demands that appeared to underscore just how far apart negotiations remain.
Iranian reporting described Tehran as seeking sweeping concessions, including sanctions relief, release of frozen assets, compensation payments, and recognition of Iranian authority over the Strait of Hormuz before addressing core American demands involving enrichment restrictions and uranium transfer — positions Trump and administration officials have repeatedly suggested fall far short of the broader agreement Washington has sought.
Trump also escalated his public messaging Sunday evening, posting and reposting a rapid series of Iran-focused graphics and military-themed imagery as he continued warning Tehran that renewed military action could remain on the table should negotiations collapse.
Among the posts was an uncaptioned image showing a Middle East map overlaid with an American flag and a series of arrows directed toward Iran, appearing to further raise pressure on the Islamic Republic as Trump’s rhetoric continued to intensify.
Trump also reposted military-themed images and animations depicting U.S. naval and drone operations targeting Iranian fast boats, drones, and maritime assets, alongside graphics contrasting his administration’s posture toward Tehran with prior administrations.
The increasingly aggressive rhetoric unfolded as tensions across the region continued deteriorating despite the ceasefire formally remaining in place.
A drone strike on Sunday triggered a fire outside the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates after authorities said one of three drones entering the country struck an electrical generator outside the facility’s inner perimeter.
UAE officials described the incident as a “dangerous escalation” and an “unacceptable act of aggression,” while the International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation levels remained normal.
Saudi Arabia later announced it intercepted and destroyed three drones entering its airspace from Iraq and warned it reserved the right to respond “at the appropriate time and place.”
Iranian officials simultaneously hardened their rhetoric Sunday as negotiations remained stalled.
Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Reza Talaei-Nik warned Iranian forces stood ready to respond forcefully to any renewed military action, while Iranian officials continued threatening broader consequences involving regional oil access and escalation.
Iran deputy parliament speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei separately warned: “If the enemy attacks our oil, no country in the world will be able to access oil in the region.”
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.