A president who has spent months insisting that force kept Iran from a bomb now stands again at the edge of that choice, offering a deal in one breath and a strike in the next. Behind the words lies a war that already took a supreme leader and his family, and a region where the undersea cables carrying the world's messages have become a bargaining chip. Diplomats are quietly pulling staff from Gulf posts while intelligence warns of plots against American officials, and it is not yet clear whether any real channel for talks exists or whether the weekend hint will ever become action.
Trump Threatens Iran With Strikes as US Warns of Iranian Plots and Gulf Cable Sabotage Plans
The earlier US-Israeli Operation Epic Fury in February killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members.
If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines
A president who has spent months insisting that force kept Iran from a bomb now stands again at the edge of that choice, offering a deal in one breath and a strike in the next. Behind the words lies a war that already took a supreme leader and his family, and a region where the undersea cables carrying the world's messages have become a bargaining chip. Diplomats are quietly pulling staff from Gulf posts while intelligence warns of plots against American officials, and it is not yet clear whether any real channel for talks exists or whether the weekend hint will ever become action.
President Trump has told Tehran that it could face a "little Epic Fury" if it does not reach an agreement with Washington. The phrase recalls the American and Israeli campaign in February, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family. The threat arrived alongside a signal from Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, who said strikes could come "as soon as this weekend" while insisting the president remains open to a deal.
Trump also pointed back to "Operation Midnight Hammer," which he says destroyed Iran's enrichment capacity, and repeated that preventing an Iranian bomb was the reason for the attacks. Tehran responded by warning Washington not to "play with fire," and an Iranian official said plans exist to target undersea cables in the Gulf and block their repair, threatening that no red lines would remain if Iran is attacked.
On the American side, intelligence warnings describe Iranian plots against US officials at an advanced stage, though the memo did not name targets or places. The caution is already visible on the ground, as non-emergency staff leave posts in Saudi Arabia and reductions spread across several embassies in the region. What remains unknown is whether any negotiating channel truly exists behind the talk of a deal.
President Trump has told Iran that it faces what he called a "little Epic Fury" if Tehran does not reach an agreement with Washington. The phrase refers to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran in February, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family.
The threat followed a signal from Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, who hinted that strikes on Iran could come "as soon as this weekend." Barrack said the president is open to a deal but is also prepared to take military action. The two messages, one of negotiation and one of force, arrived together.
Trump also spoke about "Operation Midnight Hammer," which he claimed destroyed Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and weakened both its military and its economy. He repeated that stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon has been the central aim of American military action. "I had to attack Iran, or they would have had a nuclear weapon," he said.
Tehran has answered with a warning of its own. Iran told the US not to "play with fire," and an Iranian official said plans have been drawn up to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf. According to that official, the aim would be to prevent repairs after any attack, which would disrupt communications and internet connections. The official put it bluntly: "If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines...from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones."
The American side is also reporting danger. US intelligence has warned that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American officials, with some plots now at an advanced stage. According to Axios, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton raised the alarm with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo dated October 23. The memo did not identify specific targets, did not name any countries outside the Middle East, and did not describe the nature of the plots.
The posture is already visible in staffing. Earlier this week the US ordered non-emergency personnel to leave its embassy in Riyadh and its consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. Staff reductions were also made at embassies in the UAE, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. Diplomats described the process as "chaotic."
All of this sits atop long-running tension between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program and over the military action taken against it. What remains unclear is whether the talk of a deal has any active negotiating channel behind it, and whether the weekend hint becomes anything more. The next things to watch are further embassy drawdowns across the Gulf and any steps the US takes in response to the intelligence on plots against its officials.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I had to attack Iran, or they would have had a nuclear weapon.— President Donald Trump
If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines...from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones.— Iranian official
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