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Trump Warns Iran of “Harder Strikes” After Drone Attack on UAE Nuclear Plant

Trump Warns Iran of “Harder Strikes” After Drone Attack on UAE Nuclear Plant
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President Donald Trump warned Iran that “the clock is ticking” and threatened “much harder” U.S. strikes if Tehran does not swiftly accept tougher terms to end the war, as a drone attack on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant underscored the risk of a wider regional escalation axios +1. The remarks came less than two months after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered missile and drone exchanges across the Gulf thehill +1.

Trump delivered his latest warning in an interview on Sunday, saying Iran must “get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” while U.S. officials prepared a high-level Situation Room meeting on military options axios +1. Talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar have stalled, with Washington demanding sweeping nuclear concessions and what Trump has previously characterized as “unconditional surrender,” and Tehran insisting its proposals are “responsible and generous” foxnews +1.

From Decapitation Strikes to a Fragile Ceasefire

The current standoff followed massive U.S.-Israeli airstrikes launched on 28 February that hit Iranian leadership, nuclear and missile sites, and key government targets, with early reporting indicating Khamenei was killed in the opening wave thehill +1. Iran retaliated with salvos of missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. bases, including a strike on a U.S. command center in Kuwait that killed six American service members, while declaring the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed yahoo +1.

By 10 March, Pentagon officials and residents in Iran described the “heaviest day” of airstrikes yet, as U.S. munitions spending reached an estimated $5.6 billion in the first two days alone and Iranian officials said more than 1,300 people had been killed yahoo +1. A two-week ceasefire was announced on the 39th day of fighting, but clashes continued in Lebanon and elsewhere, and international monitors, including Amnesty International, documented strikes on schools and hospitals and warned of “unlawful and reckless acts” by multiple parties thehill +1.

New Threats, Nuclear Fears and Regional Shockwaves

Trump’s latest comments came just hours after the UAE said a drone hit the Barakah nuclear power plant, damaging an external electrical generator while two other drones were intercepted, an attack Abu Dhabi called “a dangerous escalation” that violated international norms and put civilians at risk axios. Though there was no indication of radiological release, the incident heightened concern that critical energy infrastructure across the Gulf has become a frontline target.

The conflict has already roiled global markets: roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s bid to choke the waterway sent prices surging earlier in the war yahoo. Analysts at CSIS and other think tanks have warned that sustained pressure on Iran, combined with proxy activity from Lebanon to Iraq, risks a protracted regional crisis with disrupted air and maritime hubs and potential refugee flows if the Iranian state weakens further middleeasteye. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate halt to hostilities, warning failure “risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability” wionews.

The Bigger Picture

Trump’s “clock is ticking” ultimatum signaled that Washington is prepared to pivot back to large-scale military action if talks stay frozen, even as allies and humanitarian groups urge de-escalation axios +1. With Iran under intense military and economic strain, Gulf states exposed to cross-border strikes, and global energy supplies still vulnerable to disruption, the next decisions in Washington, Tehran and key regional capitals could determine whether the war edges toward a political settlement or reverts to a campaign of “harder hits” with far higher costs.