Trump vows fresh US strikes in Middle East as Iran threatens ‘new fronts’ in conflict

US President Donald Trump's threat of further strikes has effectively given Iran a deadline for negotiations. Photo / Getty Images

President Donald Trump has warned that the United States may strike Iran again, a day after he said he had held off a major assault in hope of a deal to end the war.

Iran countered by threatening to open “new fronts” in the conflict if the US followed through on its threats.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been just “an hour away” from relaunching Washington’s attacks on Iran before postponing the order, after weeks of a fragile ceasefire and talks to end the war that began on February 28.

He said: “You know how it is to negotiate with a country where you’re beating them badly. They come to the table – they’re begging to make a deal.

“I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit. I’m not sure yet.”

But Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the Islamic Republic would “open new fronts against” the United States if it restarted its attacks.

He added that Iran’s military had used the ceasefire as an opportunity “to strengthen its combat capabilities”.

Trump offered a deadline of several days for resuming strikes if a deal was not agreed.

He said: “I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time.”

Trump’s new deadline came after he said that Gulf leaders had asked him to hold off on an attack at the 11th hour, which he did because “serious negotiations are taking place”.

But if a deal was not agreed, he said he instructed the US military to be “prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice.”

Trump had already indefinitely extended the truce and made clear he wants to exit a war that has proven to be a political liability, with Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz rattling the global economy and hurting Americans at the pump.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X that Trump’s comments meant that the US leader was “calling a threat a chance for peace!”

Since the ceasefire took hold on April 8, Tehran and Washington have held a single round of talks, which failed to culminate in a deal.

Iran has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offers on a deal. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed exchanges with the United States through mediator Pakistan and said Tehran made clear its “concerns”.

The cleric-run state is demanding the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of long-standing sanctions.

After the Iranian threat of attacks on new fronts, the United Arab Emirates said a drone attack on its Barakah nuclear power plant last week originated from Iraqi territory, where Iran backs groups accused of launching attacks on Gulf nations in the war.

The Emirati defence ministry said: “As part of the ongoing investigation into the blatant attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant on May 17, 2026, technical tracking and monitoring confirmed that the three drones ... all originated from Iraqi territory.”

A top Emirati official had already suggested Iran or one of its regional proxies was to blame.

- AFP