Trump Issues Another Threat Against Iran: 'The Clock Is Ticking'

"They better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," the president wrote on Truth Social

NEED TO KNOW

• President Donald Trump issued another threat against Iran amid stalled talks to end the war between the two nations
• The president warned in a social media post on May 17 that “the Clock is Ticking” for Iran to reach a deal with the U.S.
• Trump’s threat of renewed war comes shortly after he told reporters at the White House that the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support”

President Donald Trump threatened to escalate the war with Iran amid stalled talks to end the conflict between the two countries, warning on social media that time is of the essence.

“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote early Sunday, May 17, on Truth Social, echoing previous threats against Iranian infrastructure and civilians.

The president’s latest warning of renewed war comes shortly after he claimed the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support.” Asked about Trump’s threats on Monday, May 18, Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, told reporters, “Don’t worry, we know very well how to respond.”

Through Pakistan, which has been mediating negotiations between the two nations, Iran on Monday delivered a new proposal to end the conflict with the U.S., which is now in its 11th week, Reuters reported. According to Axios, a senior U.S. official characterized the offer as insufficient and unlikely to end the war.

In another Truth Social post on Monday, Trump criticized media coverage of the war, writing that the “Fake News Media” would report that Iran “had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory” over the U.S. even if its military were to walk “out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting ‘I surrender, I surrender’ while wildly waving the representative White Flag.”

“The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way,” he added, using a new favorite nickname for Democrats. “They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!”

The president has frequently complained about media outlets’ coverage of his second administration, including its military operations in Iran.

He accused a veteran New York Times correspondent of treason aboard Air Force One on Friday, May 15, after the reporter, David Sanger, questioned administration officials’ claims that the U.S. had achieved each of its objectives in Iran.

“We’ve had a total victory, except by people like you that don’t write the truth,” Trump responded. “I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write … You should be ashamed of yourself. I actually think it’s treason.”

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Responding to the president’s remarks, Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesperson for the Times, said, “Reporting isn’t treason. It’s foundational to a free press and the work that America’s founders wrote the First Amendment to protect.”

“That includes making clear when the claims of government officials and the reality of their actions don’t line up,” he said.

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