It’s only a matter of time before the US resumes attacks against Iran, according to a former top Navy commander, who spoke before President Trump teased Saturday about what he has in store for the country.

It’s “a matter of not if, but when the United States is going to recommence combat operations,” Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold told Fox News Friday, as clues pointed to renewed attacks even as diplomatic talks advanced.

The former commander of the USS Cole said Trump was using negotiations to “rearm, refuel, and be ready for combat operations.”

His comments came as Trump met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and other members of his security team at the White House.

With global speculation brewing about Trump’s next move, the president posted a trolling message on Truth Social Saturday, asking about the “United States of the Middle East?” 

The post showed a map of the region with the American flag painted over Iran, a nation of about 636,000 square miles, nearly the size of Alaska. 

The map shows how the country dwarfs neighboring Iraq, where the US spent years fighting a war, running an occupation, and battling an insurgency.

US Central Command posted Saturday that forces had reached a milestone of “redirecting” 100 commercial ships while imposing a blockade against Iran. Trump ordered the blockade after Iran forced commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to a virtual halt.

Trump had announced plans to travel to his Bedminster, New Jersey club for the weekend – but the schedule was scrapped Friday as the White House announced the commander in chief would stay in DC.

The schedule change followed Trump’s statement to reporters that he wouldn’t attend his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson due to “circumstances” he did not specify.

Iran’s top negotiator in US peace talks, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told the head of Pakistan’s army at a meeting Saturday there would be “crushing, bitter consequences” if the US “foolishly restarts the war.”

Trump said earlier this week that he called off an Iran attack planned for Tuesday at the request of US Gulf allies and that “serious negotiations are now taking place.”

“If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy,” he said Monday night.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker said Friday Trump’s “instincts” were to “finish the job” but that he was being ill advised to “pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on,” The Post reported.

But there were signs of diplomatic movement amid the calls to resume military operations that paused with an April 8 ceasefire.

A team of negotiators from Qatar arrived in Tehran Friday – signaling a new phase of negotiations that previously had been headed by the Pakistanis.

The key sticking points include Iran’s nuclear program and its stock of enriched uranium, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz – a waterway the US insists must remain free to commercial traffic.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in India Saturday for meetings with “Quad” officials from India, Australia and Japan, said earlier at a NATO conference in Sweden there is “more work to be done,” adding, “the President would prefer to do a good deal.”

“There’s been some progress. I wouldn’t exaggerate it, I wouldn’t diminish it,” he said.

The president did not have a singular focus on Iran, however.

He also posted an image Saturday morning of himself peering over Greenland, a territory he previously said the US must have. 

“Hello, Greenland!” says the headline.