Trump warns Iran’s Khamenei should be "very worried"

US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s supreme leader should be “very worried,” as both countries prepare for their first formal negotiations since the US struck Tehran’s nuclear program last year.

Tensions have surged in recent weeks following a deadly crackdown by Iranian security forces on nationwide anti-government protests, Caliber.Az reports via US media.

In response, Trump sent a US military “armada” to the region and threatened potential strikes. Iran’s military has warned that any attack would be met with an immediate and decisive response, including strikes on US forces and assets in the region.

“I would say he (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) should be very worried. Yeah, he should be,” Trump said.

Trump, who first threatened strikes against Iran amid last month’s protests, said his actions have supported the demonstrators, despite stopping short of direct intervention.

The high-stakes talks are scheduled for Friday (February 6) in the Omani capital, Muscat, and will involve Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim news agency.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the Trump administration wants negotiations to cover not only Iran’s nuclear program but also “the range of their ballistic missiles,” “their sponsorship of terrorist organisations across the region,” and “the treatment of their own people.”

Citing Iran’s foreign ministry, Tasnim reported that negotiations will focus solely on Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions as the country’s “primary demand.”

Iran and the US previously held several rounds of indirect nuclear talks in April and May 2025, before a surprise Israeli strike in mid-June led to the cancellation of further discussions. That was followed days later by the US strike on Iran, effectively halting the negotiation process.

“If we didn’t take out that nuclear, we wouldn’t have peace in the Middle East, because the Arab countries could have never done that,” Trump said. “They were very, very afraid of Iran. They’re not afraid of Iran anymore.”

Trump also claimed intelligence indicated Iran was attempting to revive its nuclear program at alternative sites. “They tried to go back to the site. They weren’t even able to get near it,” he said.

“There was total obliteration. But they were thinking about starting a new site in a different part of the country. We found out about it. I said, you do that, we’re going to do bad things to you.”

Regional mediators have been working to prevent a broader conflict, warning that any escalation could destabilise the Middle East. Tensions have recently flared at sea: a US aircraft carrier shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea, and hours later, two Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats threatened a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump first raised the prospect of military action last month as anti-government protests swept Iran, and a nationwide internet blackout, which lasted nearly three weeks, left Iranians shouting slogans against the ruling regime. While connectivity has partially returned, experts warn that internet access in Iran remains severely restricted.

By Aghakazim Guliyev