US President Donald Trump shared an edited image on his social media platform showing Iran covered in the colours of the American flag, with the caption: “United States of the Middle East?”
The post came amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed discussions within the US administration over possible military action against Iran.
Days earlier, Trump had also posted AI-generated images depicting missile strikes on Iranian boats, outer space warfare and an American flag flying over Iran.
According to US officials cited in an Axios report, Trump is “seriously considering” launching fresh military strikes against Iran if last-minute diplomatic efforts fail to produce a breakthrough. The assessment followed a high-level meeting Trump held with his senior national security team on Friday morning to review the Iran conflict and examine possible next steps.
The discussions reportedly included Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and other senior officials. The meeting focused on the status of ongoing negotiations and military contingency planning.
Diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran remain active but fragile. Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, visited Tehran as part of what officials described as a last-ditch mediation effort aimed at narrowing differences between Washington and Tehran. A Qatari delegation also arrived in the Iranian capital to support the negotiations.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told Asim Munir during talks in Tehran on Saturday that the United States was not an honest party in negotiations to end the war and that Iran would not compromise on its national rights, according to Iranian state television.
A regional mediation effort led by Pakistan seeks to reduce tensions between Iran and the United States after weeks of conflict that disrupted global energy markets and left the Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping despite a fragile ceasefire.
Iranian state media reported that Munir also met President Masoud Pezeshkian in the presence of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Munir reportedly held two meetings with Araqchi before departing Tehran.
The discussions reportedly centred on a 14-point document proposed by Iran, which Tehran considers the main framework for negotiations, along with messages exchanged between both sides.
Qalibaf said Iran would continue pursuing what he described as its “legitimate rights” through both military and diplomatic means. However, he said Iran could not trust “a party that has no honesty at all”, repeating allegations Tehran has made against Washington in the past.
He also claimed that Iran’s armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and warned that if the United States “foolishly restarts the war”, the consequences would be “more forceful and bitter” than at the start of the conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington had seen some progress towards a deal but added that more work remained. Iran’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said differences between the two sides remained deep and significant.
Despite weeks of conflict, Iran has preserved its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium as well as its missile, drone and proxy capabilities, which the United States and Israel say they want to curb.
Source: India Today
