Trump threatens Iran with strikes worse than 2025 raids

Thursday 29 January 2026 - 12:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Trump threatens Iran with strikes worse than 2025 raids

President Donald Trump escalated warnings to Tehran on Wednesday, posting on Truth Social that a "massive armada" heads toward Iran. He stated any future military action would be "far worse" than last June's US strikes on the country's nuclear facilities.

The escalatory rhetoric drove oil prices to September highs. West Texas Intermediate crude topped $64 per barrel, while Brent exceeded $68 per barrel, as markets priced in risks to Iranian petroleum supplies.

Trump's threats come as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, with three missile destroyers, arrived in the Middle East earlier this week. US Central Command confirmed the deployment to bolster regional security and stability.

"Time is running out," Trump wrote on Truth Social, urging Tehran to "come to the negotiating table and make a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS." He warned the fleet stands "ready, willing, and able to rapidly execute its mission, with speed and violence if necessary."

Trump drew explicit parallels to Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 22, 2025, strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan using B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles. He claimed the operation "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, though Israeli sources suggested damage delayed ambitions by mere months, not years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded sharply on social media. He said Iran's armed forces stand "ready - finger on the trigger - to immediately and forcefully retaliate against ANY aggression on our soil, airspace, and beloved seas."

Iran's UN mission warned: "The last time the US blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, they wasted over $7 trillion and lost over 7,000 American lives. Iran is ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and common interests - BUT IF CORNERED, IT WILL DEFEND AND RETALIATE LIKE NEVER BEFORE!"

CNN reports Trump considers major new military action after fruitless preliminary talks between Washington and Tehran. Communications via Omani diplomats and Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff yielded no breakthrough. The US demands a full halt to uranium enrichment and curbs on Iran's ballistic missile program, demands Tehran rejected.

As OPEC's fourth-largest producer with daily output around 3.2 million barrels, Iran remains pivotal to global energy markets. Citi analysts estimate heightened geopolitical tensions add a $3 to $4 per barrel risk premium to oil prices. Further escalation could push Brent to $72 per barrel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers the military buildup is mainly defensive but noted US forces could act "preemptively" against Iran if needed. He added "no one knows" who might take power if the Iranian regime collapses.