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Trump signals possible US attack on Iran after Beijing trip

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Warnings intensify as diplomacy stalls and Washington weighs military options against Tehran

The prospect of a US attack on Iran is back at the center of Washington’s strategic calculus, as President Donald Trump returns from Beijing and abandons diplomatic ambiguity in favor of open warning.

“Iran will go through a very difficult period” if a peace agreement is not reached soon, Trump said in a phone interview with BFMTV, marking a sharp escalation in tone after talks with Xi Jinping that yielded no visible breakthrough on the Iranian dossier.

The message was reinforced on Truth Social, where Trump posted a stark phrase—“The calm before the storm”—over an image depicting him aboard a military vessel, finger pointed, against a backdrop of rough seas and Iranian naval imagery. The symbolism was unambiguous: diplomacy has stalled, and the window for de-escalation may be closing.

According to the New York Times, a new US attack on Iran could be launched as early as next week. The report reflects mounting frustration within the administration over what officials describe as Tehran’s failure to present an acceptable framework for negotiation.

At the core of the deadlock are longstanding demands: Iran must abandon its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to unrestricted navigation. From Air Force One, Trump reiterated that Tehran’s current position is “unacceptable,” signaling that the diplomatic track may be nearing exhaustion.

Behind the rhetoric, military posture has remained constant. In recent weeks, approximately 5,000 Marines and 2,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have been deployed across the Middle East, awaiting operational directives. Among the options under consideration is a targeted operation to secure roughly 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent—material considered critical for potential weapons development.

Trump has repeatedly stated that only the United States and China possess the technical capability to retrieve such material, reportedly buried at a site struck by US forces in June 2025. Any attempt to recover it would likely require ground support, raising the prospect of a direct US military presence.

Tehran, however, has shown no indication of softening its stance. Iranian officials continue to frame the confrontation as inevitable, with the Revolutionary Guards emphasizing control over the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic lever.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, announced that a “professional mechanism” for managing transit through the strait will soon be unveiled. Access, he said, will be granted only to vessels cooperating with Iran, with tolls imposed for passage. Ships linked to what he described as the “Freedom Project”—a US-backed maritime security initiative—would be excluded.

While Chinese tankers have recently been allowed free passage, Tehran appears to be exploring dialogue with European actors, potentially seeking to isolate Washington diplomatically and reposition the United States as an obstacle rather than a guarantor of maritime security.

Despite the hardening public positions, indirect channels remain active. Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visiting Tehran in an effort to broker a “specific agreement,” according to sources cited by Al-Arabiya. The same sources report “positive progress” on issues related to the Strait of Hormuz, while negotiations remain open on unresolved matters, including Iran’s nuclear program.

Amid the escalating tension, Giorgia Meloni signaled that Italy is prepared to contribute to maritime security operations in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions allow, building on its involvement in missions in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Two Italian mine countermeasure vessels, Rimini and Crotone, departed from Augusta on Friday en route to Djibouti. The ships are equipped to detect underwater objects at depths of up to 600 meters and are designed for mine clearance operations, including the identification and neutralization of naval mines.

As military assets move into position and diplomatic channels strain under competing demands, the trajectory of the crisis remains unresolved, with both escalation and negotiation still formally on the table.

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