Ceasefire hangs by thread as Trump warns Iran is running out of time
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran faced new challenges Sunday as President Trump considered new military actions and the United Arab Emirates witnessed a new round of attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Mr. Trump reiterated his threats to launch unprecedented strikes against Iran if the ruling regime fails to reach a deal to end the war.
“For Iran, time is running out, and they better act, FAST, or there will be nothing left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
The comments come after Mr. Trump discussed the war with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone earlier in the day. The two men reportedly discussed the possibility of renewed fighting in Iran and the president is expected to hold a meeting with senior defense officials in the Situation Room on Tuesday, according to reports.
Mr. Trump is also waiting for Iran’s latest peace proposal, he told Axios on Sunday, although he declined to give a firm deadline for the Islamic republic.
The United States has been at war with the Islamic Republic since late February, when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against political, military and strategic targets in Iran. Washington and Tehran have since agreed to a ceasefire, which has been extended indefinitely, but rare clashes in the Strait of Hormuz have kept tensions high.
Some allies of Mr. Trump have called on the president to resume strikes, arguing that the status quo is unsustainable.
“What President Trump has done has been incredible militarily, but there are still more targets to hit and there are things we can do to hurt Iran,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Mr. Trump’s threats follow an unidentified drone attack on Sunday near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.
While officials said there were no casualties in the attack and radiation levels remained normal in the region, regional leaders strongly condemned the strike, calling it a major escalation.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan told the IAEA it had the right to respond to what it called “terrorist attacks” on the nuclear plant.
The United Arab Emirates has not denied responsibility for the attack, and Iran, which has launched hundreds of missiles and drones at the country since its war with the United States and Israel began, has not claimed responsibility.
Some analysts predict that if the drone did not come from Iran, it could have been fired by the Houthis in Yemen, who have launched similar attacks against the United Arab Emirates.
This is the first time the Barakah factory has been targeted since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran at the end of February. The United Arab Emirates, along with the rest of the Persian Gulf states, have been repeatedly attacked by Iran since the start of the war because they hosted US air bases.
Despite a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, the United Arab Emirates has reportedly been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones at least twice this month. Shortly after Mr. Trump launched Project Freedom to guide commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a barrage of missiles and drones set fire to an oil refinery in Fujairah.
Tehran has not claimed responsibility for the strikes, although the UAE Defense Ministry said the missiles and drones were launched from Iran.
