US President Donald Trump has urged Iran to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next US attack would be far worse.
"Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!" Trump wrote in a social media post on Wednesday.
The Republican US president, who pulled out of a 2015 multination nuclear deal with Tehran during his first White House term, noted that his last warning to Iran was followed by a military strike.
"The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again," Trump wrote. He also said another "armada" is floating towards Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had not been in contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requesting negotiations, state media reported earlier on Wednesday.
Trump has repeatedly left open the option of new military action against Iran after Washington backed and joined Israel's 12-day war in June aimed at degrading Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Earlier this month, he threatened to strike Iran over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. But the prospect of immediate American action seemed to recede in recent days, with both sides insisting on giving diplomacy a chance.
With a US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier lurking in the region, top Iranian officials also reached out to key Arab states in behind-the-scenes diplomacy to rally support.
A strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has now arrived in Middle Eastern waters, US Central Command said, without revealing its precise location.
