President Donald Trump warned that a major U.S. attack on Iran could be imminent during a meeting in Ankara, Turkey.
The threat signals a significant escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran, suggesting a shift toward direct military action over diplomatic negotiations.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he issued the warnings. He said there may be a big attack and it'll knock out a lot of stuff [1]. The president said the U.S. would take over Kharg Island [2].
Trump said the potential military action could occur as soon as tonight. He said this would be the second straight night of strikes [3].
According to the president, the move follows a pattern where Iran repeatedly misled negotiators, and continued building up weapons [4]. He said the situation was a reason for a larger strike and said, "We'll knock the hell out of Iran" [1].
Trump also mentioned calling off a deal with those he described as "Tehran scum" [2]. The president did not provide specific details on the exact nature of the weapons being built, or the specific failures in the negotiations, but he said the current trajectory required a hard response [4].
“There may be a big attack and it'll knock out a lot of stuff”
The threat to seize Kharg Island, a critical hub for Iranian oil exports, suggests a strategy aimed at crippling Iran's economic lifeline. By linking these threats to the failure of negotiations and weapons proliferation, the administration is signaling that it no longer views diplomacy as a viable path to containment.
