Trump calls on Iran to agree to nuclear deal after Israeli airstrikes

Investing.com - U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Iran to agree to a fresh nuclear deal following an Israeli strike on the country early on Friday, suggesting that the "next already planned attacks" could be "even more brutal."

Writing in a post on Truth Social, the president said Tehran must be ready to make a deal "before there is nothing left."

"No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," Trump wrote, adding that he had previously told Iranian officials "in the strongest of words" to agree to a deal.

Trump said earlier this week that a "massive conflict" could emerge in the Middle East should talks over an Iranian nuclear deal collapse. He noted at the time that he had already ordered the evacuation of some U.S. personnel from the region in case of a possible retaliation from Iran.

Prior to the remarks, the International Atomic Energy Agency had hit out at Iran, accusing the country of continuing to enrich uranium and not complying with a nuclear nonproliferation agreement. In response, Iran criticized the statement, and said that it would activate a third location for enriching uranium which could be used to produce the material needed to build a nuclear weapon.

Israel launched what it called a "preemptive" large‑scale airstrike on Iran early Friday, hitting “dozens” of military and nuclear targets, while a state of emergency was declared across Israel amid warnings of an imminent missile and drone counter‑strike from Tehran.

Iran’s state media also confirmed reports saying that Israel has killed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander Hossein Salami.

Iran pledged a “harsh” retaliation against both Israel and the United States, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Israel carried out its military action against Iran independently, citing self-defense as the driving motive behind the strikes.

The White House had warned it would consider military measures should nuclear negotiations fail, with a key response deadline ending Thursday.

In the Truth Social post on Friday, Trump said "certain Iranian hardliners" had spoken "bravely," "but they didn’t know what was about to happen."

"They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!" Trump said.

The attacks have reignited concerns over risks to Middle East oil flows and global growth, exacerbating already fragile investor sentiment that has stemmed from global trade uncertainties. Oil prices spiked after the strikes.

This article first appeared in Investing.com