US President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next US attack would be far worse.“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘come to the table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — no nuclear weapons — one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!” Trump wrote in a social media post.The Republican US president, who during his first White House term pulled out of world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, noted that his last warning to Iran was followed by a military strike in June.“The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” Trump wrote. He also repeated that a US “armada” was heading toward the Islamic Republic.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not been in contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requested negotiations, state media reported on Wednesday.Trump said a US naval force headed by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, was approaching Iran. Two US officials said on Monday that the Lincoln and supporting warships had arrived in West Asia.The warships started moving from the Asia-Pacific region last week as US-Iranian tensions soared following a bloody crackdown on protests across Iran by its clerical authorities in recent weeks.Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters, but the countrywide demonstrations over economic privations and political repression have since abated.He has said the United States would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear programme after the June airstrikes by Israeli and US forces on key nuclear installations.Later in the day, Iran’s missions to the United States said that it was prepared for discussions with the United States but would defend itself if it is provoked. “Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests — but if pushed, it will defend itself and respond like never before!” the mission said in a post on X.Iraq ex-PM slams ‘US interference’Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed defiance on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw Washington’s support for Iraq if he returns to power. “We reject the blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and consider it a violation of its sovereignty,” al-Maliki, who is nominated by the country’s dominant political bloc to return to the premiership, said in a statement.