The President of the United States, Donald Trump, issued a forceful message to Iran on Friday, urging them to accept a nuclear deal "before there is nothing left", following a series of Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and military leaders.
In his first public statements after the attacks, Trump warned on his Truth Social network that the next bombings could be "even more brutal" and held Iran responsible for provoking the Israeli offensive.
Trump stated that he gave Iran multiple opportunities to reach a diplomatic agreement, but that the country "failed at great cost." In a particularly aggressive tone, he claimed that the Iranian leaders "are all dead now" and warned that the situation will only get worse if an agreement is not reached.
"There is still time for this massacre to end," he added. He also emphasized that both the United States and Israel possess the most lethal military weaponry in the world.
In contrast to Trump's firmer stance, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, tried to distance the U.S. government somewhat from the Israeli offensive, clarifying in a statement that the United States "was not involved in the attacks on Iran" and that its priority is to protect U.S. personnel in the region.
The Israeli attacks took place early Friday morning and were aimed at strategic targets in Tehran, in an operation called "Rising Lion". According to reports from Iranian state television, the head of the Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, and the Chief of Staff, Mohammad Bagheri, were killed in the bombing, as well as two nuclear scientists.
