US warns Iran over deal delay amid war fears

The United States has issued a fresh warning to Iran, urging it to move quickly toward a deal or "there won't be anything left of them", as Gulf nations rallied in solidarity after the Arab world's only nuclear power plant was targeted for the first time.

With diplomacy struggling, military preparations intensifying and inflammatory rhetoric escalating, fears are growing that the region risks sliding into a wider, potentially more dangerous phase of the conflict.

"For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving, fast, or there won't be anything left of them," US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to media reports, the two leaders discussed the possibility of renewing military operations against Iran.

On Monday, Israel's Channel 13 reported that dozens of US cargo planes carrying ammunition from bases in Germany had landed in Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub, in the past 24 hours, as Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting on Sunday that the country was "prepared for any scenario" over Iran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran has submitted its response to US revisions of the conflict resolution plan, as talks are ongoing through Pakistan. Iranian and Omani technical teams have met to negotiate a mechanism for safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

A Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday that Pakistan has shared the revised proposal with the US.

"We don't have much time," the source said, when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding that both countries "keep changing their goalposts".

Baghaei said Tehran was prepared for all scenarios.

"As for their threats, rest assured that we are fully aware of how to respond appropriately to even the smallest mistake from the opposing side," he told a televised weekly news conference.

The renewed tensions have raised concerns across the Gulf, particularly after Sunday's drone strike near the United Arab Emirates' Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which is vital to the country's clean energy goals, supplying about 25 percent of its electricity needs.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday that the strike had caused a fire in an electrical generator and that radiation levels remained normal in the four-reactor plant.

Brought online in 2020, the $20 billion Barakah plant — the Arab world's only nuclear power station — sits 200 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi and operates on US-supplied nuclear fuel.

The UAE Defense Ministry said three drones entered from its western border with Saudi Arabia, two of which were intercepted. Officials said they were investigating the source of the strike, adding that the UAE reserves the full right to respond to such "terrorist attacks".

Although no one was immediately blamed, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said it represented a dangerous escalation, whether carried out by "the principal perpetrator" or one of its proxies.

So far, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt have condemned the attack and reaffirmed full solidarity with the UAE.

On Sunday, Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Tehran has not "closed the door to friendship in dealing with the UAE, but they should know that Iran's patience has limits".

"The UAE should not become entangled in Israel's plots and schemes," he said, as reported by Iran's ISNA news agency.

Hormuz management

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced on Monday the formation of a new body to manage the strategic waterway.

On its X account, the council shared a post for the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, saying it would provide "real-time updates on the#Hormuz_Strait operations and latest developments".

The account of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy shared the same post.

It was not immediately clear what the new body would do, but earlier this month, Iranian English-speaking broadcaster Press TV said it constituted a "system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz" and that ships passing through the strait were sent "regulations" from the email info@pgsa.ir.

Amid escalating tensions, international airlines remain cautious in their response to the regional security situation.

American Airlines said on Sunday that it was extending the suspension of nonstop flights between New York and Tel Aviv until Jan 6, 2027, citing ongoing instability linked to the Iran conflict.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.