Trump warns Iran’s Supreme Leader should be ‘very worried’ as U.S.–Iran talks loom

U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Irans supreme leader should be very worried, as both sides prepare for their first formal negotiations since the U.S. bombed Tehrans nuclear program last year. Tensions between the two countries have escalated sharply in recent weeks following a deadly crackdown by Iranian security forces on nationwide anti-government protesters that prompted Trump to send a U.S. military armada to the region and threaten to launch strikes. Irans military has warned that any attack would be met with an immediate and decisive response, including strikes on U.S. forces and assets in the region. I would say he (supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) should be very worried. Yeah, he should be, Trump told NBC News in an interview on Wednesday. Trump, who first threatened strikes against Iran during its clampdown on street protests last month, said his actions have supported the demonstrators, despite stopping short of direct action. The high-stakes talks are scheduled to take place on Friday in the Omani capital Muscat and will involve Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Irans state-affiliated Tasnim news agency. But both sides appear to have different agendas. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the Trump administration wants negotiations to focus on not only Irans nuclear program, but also the range of their ballistic missiles, their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, and the treatment of their own people. Citing Irans foreign ministry, Tasnim has reported negotiations will be limited to Irans nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions as the countrys primary demand. Iran and the U.S. held several rounds of indirect nuclear talks in April and May 2025 before a surprise mid-June Israeli strike on Iran led to the cancellation of further talks. That was followed days later by the U.S. strike on Iran, which effectively ended the process. If we didnt take out that nuclear, we wouldnt have peace in the Middle East, because the Arab countries could have never done that, Trump said in the NBC News interview.They were very, very afraid of Iran. Theyre not afraid of Iran anymore, he said. Trump also said he had been informed that Iran was looking to revive its nuclear program at alternative sites. They tried to go back to the site. They werent even able to get near it, he said. There was total obliteration. But they were thinking about starting a new site in a different part of the country. We found out about it. I said, you do that, were going to do bad things to you. As tensions simmer, neighboring countries have been mediating between the two sides to avert a war, noting that any conflict could spread and destabilize the Middle East. On Tuesday, a U.S. aircraft carrier shot down an Iranian drone that aggressively approached the ship in the Arabian Sea, according to the U.S. military. Hours later, two gunboats operated by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to board and seize the ship, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for U.S. Central Command. Trump first threatened possible military action last month as mass anti-government protests swept Iran and a nearly three-week nationwide internet blackout took hold, with Iranians shouting slogans against the ruling theocratic regime. Internet connectivity has been partially restored, but experts are warning that, even on the other side of the digital blackout, the outlook for Iranian internet access remains bleak.The post Trump warns Irans Supreme Leader should be very worried as U.S.Iran talks loom appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.