Trump warns Iran the ‘clock is ticking’ as he issues most direct threat yet amid stalled peace talks

Donald Trump has issued his most threatening threat yet to Iran as peace talks stall.

The president launched into a scathing tirade on Truth Social on Sunday.

“The Clock is Ticking for Iran and they better act fast or there will be nothing left of them,” Trump wrote. ‘Time is Important! President DJT.’

The Commander-in-Chief’s message fueled fears that Iran could continue attacks on Iran if it does not reach an agreement with the United States to end the protracted conflict.

Trump’s message came as he prepares to meet with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday afternoon to discuss the latest developments in the region.

An Israeli official told axios The two discussed Iran, and media also reported that Trump’s national security team was expected to meet on Tuesday.

Iranian media reported on Sunday that the Trump administration had offered no meaningful concessions in response to the Iranian regime’s latest overtures, raising fears that the talks could collapse.

The warning came after President Trump said the fragile ceasefire was on “major life support” and dismissed Iran’s counteroffer as “completely unacceptable.”

A woman carries an Iranian flag during a pro-government campaign in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 17, 2026.

A drone attack targeted the United Arab Emirates’ only nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire around it.

No injuries or radiological spread were reported, but the risk of a resumption of war was highlighted as the ceasefire in Iran remained weak.

No one claimed responsibility and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) did not blame anyone for what it described as an ‘unprovoked terrorist attack’.

Americans are increasingly bearing the costs of conflict on their own soil.

The Trump administration is under pressure to end the war in Iran as midterm elections approach; Gas prices rose more than 50 percent to $4.51 per gallon nationwide.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth tried to avoid giving a clear answer about the cost of the conflict when he appeared before lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning.

Hegseth appeared before the House Appropriations Committee last week with Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst and Caine to discuss the Pentagon’s budget.

The Secretary of Defense was probed by California Democrat Pete Aguilar to share more details about the budget, and Hegseth said the Pentagon would ‘share what we can when relevant and necessary.’

Aguilar later said he believed ‘this would be the format that was needed’.

President Donald Trump made statements regarding Iran on the Truth Social Network on Sunday, May 17, 2026

Hurst told lawmakers that the estimated cost of the war had risen to $29 billion from the $25 billion he presented to lawmakers on Capitol Hill in late April.

Hurst reasoned: ‘This is due to updated repair and equipment replacement costs, as well as the general operating costs required to keep people in the operating theatre.’

Diplomatic efforts towards a more lasting peace have faltered, and despite a nominal ceasefire in Lebanon, fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group has escalated.

The UAE recently accused Iran of launching drone and missile strikes as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Iranian-held energy waterway under a US naval blockade.

The UAE hosted the air defense units and personnel of Israel, which attacked the US and Iran on February 28, sparking the war.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television broadcast segments in which news anchors were armed with rifles in order to prepare the public for war.

The UAE Ministry of Defense said three drones arrived at the western border with Saudi Arabia, while the other two were intercepted. It was being investigated who started these.

Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq also carried out drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab countries in the war.