Trump to Iran: 'There Won't Be Anything Left' if You Don't Make a Deal – Fast

US President Donald Trump warned late on Sunday that time is running out for Iran. "For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" The message was clear: agree to a deal, or face a resumption of hostilities with increased intensity.

Washington has been locked in conflict with Tehran since US and Israeli forces launched major strikes on the Islamic republic beginning 28 February. The war has upended the Middle East, sent global energy prices soaring, and led to an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – through which one-fifth of the world's oil exports pass in peacetime. It has also drawn neighbours Israel and Lebanon into a deadly side-conflict.

Iran's clerical state, which backs Hezbollah, has demanded a lasting ceasefire in Lebanon before any broader peace agreement with Trump. The US president has been frustrated by Tehran's refusal to accept an agreement on his terms. Both sides have repeatedly expressed their readiness to resume fighting.

On Sunday, Iranian media reported that the United States had failed to make enough concrete concessions in its latest response to Iran's proposed agenda for negotiations to end the war. The biggest sticking point remains Iran's nuclear programme. Trump wants Iran to commit to completely eradicating it. Tehran wants to maintain some infrastructure for civilian use. The US's latest proposal appears to have slightly eased, according to Iranian media.

Trump is looking for Iran to hand over its large stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. Iran possesses around 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. That theoretically provides the Middle Eastern nation with enough fissile material to build between 10 and 12 nuclear bombs if enriched further to around 90 percent – which is only a short, technical step. The Fars news agency said Washington's latest proposal included a five-point list with a demand that Iran keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.

Meanwhile, the war is not waiting for diplomacy. The UAE, a US Gulf ally, saw renewed Iranian attacks on Sunday. The UAE and other Gulf Arab nations including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Oman have all been targeted by Iran in what Tehran says are retaliatory strikes in response to US-Israeli attacks.

On Sunday, a fire was sparked at the UAE's sole nuclear power plant after Iranian drones hit the facility. Authorities called it an "unprovoked terrorist attack." There were no reported injuries or radiological release, according to authorities. The UAE Defence Ministry said three drones were detected near the facility over its western border with Saudi Arabia. One struck the site, while two others were intercepted. The ministry said it was investigating who launched them but had earlier accused Iran of launching new drone and missile attacks. Iran and allied Shiite militias in Iraq have launched drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states since the war began on 28 February.

The Barakah nuclear power plant, worth $20 billion (€17.2 billion), was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020. It is the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of the energy needs of the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms that is home to Dubai. The UAE's nuclear regulator said the fire did not affect plant safety and that all units are operating as normal. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and that one reactor was being powered by emergency diesel generators.

Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, said on social media that the attack – whether carried out by the principal actor or through one of its proxies – represents a dangerous escalation. Saudi Arabia condemned the attack and later said it had intercepted three drones that entered from Iraqi airspace.

So the clock ticks. Trump threatens. Iran negotiates. And a nuclear plant in the desert smoulders. The deal may come. The war may resume. Or both may happen at once. In the Middle East, that is called Tuesday.