'Massive Armada heading to Iran': Trump issues ultimatum, presses for ‘no nuclear weapons’ deal

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 13, 2026.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a stark warning to Iran, claiming that a “massive Armada” led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln is moving rapidly toward the country.

Trump said the fleet was larger than the one previously sent to Venezuela and was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.” Urging Tehran to negotiate, he wrote that Iran must “Come to the Table” and agree to a deal involving “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.”

Referring to a past US strike he called “Operation Midnight Hammer,” Trump warned, “The next attack will be far worse,” adding that time was “truly of the essence.”

Trump has not ruled out military action against Iran in response to the crackdown, while appearing to keep his options open. 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.

Analysts say options include strikes on military facilities or targeted hits against the leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a full-scale bid to bring down the system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the shah.

Trump's warning comes after Tehran rejected holding negotiations with the United States if it makes threats against the Islamic republic. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful".

"If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues," he said in televised comments.

New billboards have meanwhile appeared in Tehran showing Iran striking an American aircraft carrier and also slogans of Khamenei denouncing the US, according to AFP journalists.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have intensified against the backdrop of sustained unrest inside Iran, where protests over the government’s crackdown have reportedly led to thousands of deaths.

Human rights group HRANA says at least 6,200 people, mostly protesters, have been killed, with the actual toll feared to be higher. More than 42,000 people have been arrested, deepening concern across the Middle East over the scale of the violence.

At the same time, Iranian officials appear to be pursuing quiet diplomatic outreach through regional intermediaries. On Tuesday, Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani held talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Separately, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with Iranian official Araghchi as well as US envoy Steve Witkoff, highlighting ongoing back-channel efforts to ease tensions.