Iran mocks Trump warning as drone strikes UAE nuclear plant

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran over the weekend, saying the “clock is ticking” for Tehran to reach a peace agreement to end the war.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Iran’s embassy in Zimbabwe seemingly mocked the warning, responding on social media that “Our watch has stopped.”

Trump also posted numerous AI-generated images mocking Iran throughout the weekend, continuing a social media exchange between the two countries.

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However, the tension extended beyond online posts. The Associated Press reported that a drone strike caused a fire near the only nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates. While Iran was not officially blamed for the strike, UAE officials called it a terrorist attack and Anwar Gargash, advisor to the president of the UAE, condemned the strike.

“The terrorist targeting of the Barakah clean nuclear power plant, whether carried out by the principal perpetrator or through one of its agents, represents a dangerous escalation and a dark scene that violates all international laws and norms, in criminal disregard for the lives of civilians in the UAE and its surroundings,” Gargash said. “This prohibited escalation serves to reaffirm the nature of the challenges facing the region in confronting the forces of evil, chaos, and sabotage.”

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The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that radiation levels at the site remained normal. The agency’s director general expressed “grave concern about the incident” and called military activity that threatens nuclear safety “unacceptable.”