Politics
Trump warns Iran to make nuclear deal or next attack will be ‘far worse’
- Time running out for Iran to make nuclear deal: Trump.
- US president says ‘massive armada’ heading to Iran.
- Turkiye urges US to start nuclear talks with Tehran.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next US attack would be far worse.
“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘come to the table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!” Trump wrote in a social media post.
The Republican US president, who pulled out of a 2015 multination nuclear deal with Tehran during his first White House term, noted that his last warning to Iran was followed by a military strike.
“The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” Trump wrote. He also said another “armada” is floating toward Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not been in contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requesting negotiations, state media reported earlier on Wednesday.
Turkey urges US to start nuclear talks with Iran
Turkey’s top diplomat urged Washington to start nuclear talks with Iran in an interview broadcast Wednesday, as US warships arrived in the region ahead of a possible strike over Tehran’s protest crackdown.
“It’s wrong to attack Iran. It’s wrong to start the war again. Iran is ready to negotiate on the nuclear file again,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television in English.
“My advice has always been to our American friends: close the files one by one with the Iranians. Start with the nuclear issue and close it. Then move on to the others.”
Fidan’s comments after a US naval strike force led by an aircraft carrier took up position in Middle Eastern waters, US Central Command said on Monday, without revealing its precise location.
Washington has not ruled out new military intervention against Tehran over its harsh response to the protests.
Since Iran began its “crackdown” earlier this month accompanied by a nationwide internet blackout, US President Donald Trump has given mixed signals on intervention.
Nato member Turkey, which shares a 530-kilometre (330-mile) border with Iran, has often expressed opposition to military operations targeting the Islamic Republic.
Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the unrest in Iran as a “new test” for Tehran, pledging Turkey would “stand against any initiative” that would drag the region into chaos.
He said he hoped diplomacy and dialogue would help Iran get through this “trap-filled period”.
Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Fidan said the problems with Iran should be tackled individually.
“Do not treat them as a package. If you put everything together as one package, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest and truly process it,” he said.
“In some cases, it may even seem humiliating for them. It would be hard to explain not only to themselves but also to their leadership.”
The minister made similar comments Friday, telling Turkey’s NTV he had visited Tehran late last year, urging them to “take steps”, saying he believed an agreement with the US on the nuclear issue was “possible”.
“A friend tells the bitter truth and I said what needed to be said,” he said.
Fidan also urged Iran to build trust in the region.
“When I was in Iran two months ago, I was very frank with my Iranian friends. They need to build trust in the region,” he told Al-Jazeera.
ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque recorded a historic surge in visitors in 2025, welcoming nearly seven million worshippers and tourists, the highest annual figure since the landmark opened.
According to official figures, the total marked a 4% increase compared with 2024, reflecting the mosque’s growing status as one of the Middle East’s leading religious and cultural destinations.
More than 1.53 million people performed prayers at the mosque during the year, while over 2.4 million visitors attended for iftar and religious activities.
Foreign visitors accounted for 82% of the total, while UAE residents made up 18%. By region, Asia ranked first with 49% of visitors, followed by Europe at 33% and North America at 11%.
During Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr, more than 1.89 million worshippers and guests visited the mosque, where over 2.6 million iftar and suhoor meals were distributed as part of humanitarian initiatives.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre also organised more than 4,000 cultural tours and programmes and hosted 335 high-level delegations throughout the year, reinforcing its role as a global hub for faith, tourism and intercultural dialogue.
WASHINGTON: Travel misery was set to continue Sunday as a powerful snowstorm blasted southern US states, bringing subzero temperatures to regions not accustomed to the deadly winter conditions.
The latest bout of extreme weather came about a week after a monster storm pummeled a wide swath of the United States, killing more than 100 people and leaving many communities struggling to dig out from snow and ice.
Heavy snow fell in North Carolina and neighbouring states Saturday, as authorities urged residents to stay off the roads and warned oceanfront structures were threatened by the storm.
All of North and South Carolina, and portions of Georgia, eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as southern Virginia were under a winter storm warning.
North Carolina saw 750 car crashes on Saturday, the highway patrol said.
Faust, North Carolina recorded 14.5 inches (37 cm) of snow, while West Critz, Virginia got 12.5 inches. Harrisburg, Tennessee received more than nine inches of accumulation.
In the North Carolina town of Cape Carteret, high winds sent thick snow blowing sideways, prompting the National Weather Service to warn that travel was “Treacherous and Potentially Life-Threatening especially if you become stranded.”
In dramatic footage released by police in Gastonia, North Carolina, a train ploughed at high speed into a semi-truck that had gotten stuck on the tracks, crushing the vehicle. No one was hurt.
The weekend storm forced more than 1,800 flight cancellations Saturday and Sunday at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, a major hub for American Airlines, data from the tracker FlightAware showed.
A 300-strong “snow team” was working to clear runways, taxiways, roads and sidewalks, the airport said Saturday.
More than 600 flights were cancelled Saturday at Atlanta’s international airport, the world’s busiest. About 50 flights in and out of Atlanta were cancelled in the early hours of Sunday.
“An explosively deepening coastal cyclone will continue to bring moderate to heavy snow, high winds, and possibly blizzard conditions for the Carolinas,” the National Weather Service said Saturday.
“An intense surge of arctic air behind the coastal storm will send below freezing temperatures down toward South Florida by Sunday morning.”
Davis, West Virginia recorded the lowest temperature in the lower 48 states on Saturday — a frigid minus 28°F (minus 33°C).
About 156,000 customers remained without power early Sunday, mostly in the south, according to poweroutage.us, with Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana hardest hit.
In North Carolina, the National Park Service announced the closure of campgrounds and some beaches at the Outer Banks, a series of barrier islands off the coast of the southern state that are vulnerable to storms.
It said oceanfront structures were threatened, and a section of highway that threads through its dunes was closed.
In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves said the US Army Corps of Engineers helped to install generators at critical sites, and authorities were opening 79 shelters and warming centres across the state.
The freezing weather forced Nasa to postpone a key fueling test over the weekend of the 322-foot (98-metre) rocket that is on the Cape Canaveral launch pad in Florida.
That in turn is likely to push back by at least a couple of days a planned manned Moon flyby slated for this month.
US President Donald Trump has said India will buy Venezuelan oil, as opposed to purchasing oil from Iran.
“We’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he travelled to his vacation home in Florida from Washington.
Reuters reported on Friday that the United States has told Delhi it could soon resume purchases of Venezuelan oil to help replace imports of Russian oil, citing three people familiar with the matter.
India has not been importing significant amounts of Iranian oil due to US sanctions, but became a major buyer of Russian oil after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered Western sanctions that drove down its price.
Trump in August doubled duties on imports from India to 50% to pressure New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil, and earlier this month said the rate could rise again if it did not curb its purchases.
However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled in January that the additional 25% tariff on Indian goods could be removed, given what he called a sharp reduction in Indian imports of Russian oil.
Trump in March 2025 also imposed a 25% tariff on countries buying Venezuelan oil, including India. The US government this week lifted some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry to make it easier for US companies to sell its crude oil.
Trump’s comments on Saturday appeared to reflect continued improvement in US-India relations, which have been tense throughout the past year.
Trump also said China could make a deal with the US to buy Venezuelan oil.
“China is welcome to come in and would make a great deal on oil,” Trump said, without providing any details.
WIRED’s Guide to Actually Fun Valentine’s Day Gifts
Between the sheets at the college Excel championships
The Information Networks That Connect Venezuelans in Uncertain Times
-
Business1 week agoSuccess Story: This IITian Failed 17 Times Before Building A ₹40,000 Crore Giant
-
Fashion1 week agoSouth Korea tilts sourcing towards China as apparel imports shift
-
Sports1 week agoWanted Olympian-turned-fugitive Ryan Wedding in custody, sources say
-
Sports5 days agoPSL 11: Local players’ category renewals unveiled ahead of auction
-
Tech1 week agoStrap One of Our Favorite Action Cameras to Your Helmet or a Floaty
-
Entertainment1 week agoThree dead after suicide blast targets peace committee leader’s home in DI Khan
-
Tech1 week agoThis Mega Snowstorm Will Be a Test for the US Supply Chain
-
Sports1 week agoStorylines shaping the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season