Tensions between the two hostile adversaries, Iran and the United States, have escalated in recent days, as Iran threatened to target all American military bases in the Middle East should a potential conflict erupt.
US President Donald Trump appears “less confident” about securing a meaningful nuclear deal due to Iran’s increasingly aggressive diplomatic stance in the region, particularly after Tehran allegedly stole secret nuclear documents from Israel.
Both countries have engaged in repeated negotiations to forge a deal under which Iran would halt its uranium enrichment — which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned has reached 60 per cent — in exchange for the US lifting longstanding sanctions imposed on Tehran since the 1980s.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, backing dialogue but also issuing warnings of military action should the negotiations collapse.
“All the US bases are within our reach; we have access to them, and without hesitation, we will target all of them in the host countries,” Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned in response to US threats of military intervention.
“God willing, things won’t reach that point, and the talks will succeed,” he added, cautioning that the United States “will suffer more losses” if it comes to war.
The US operates several military bases across the Middle East, with the largest located in Qatar. Another regional conflict could plunge the area into widespread chaos.
Analysts fear that such a conflict would not be contained and could trigger a cascade of deadly confrontations — including between Israel and Iran, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Israel, and Syria and Israel.
Iran and the US remain locked in a diplomatic standoff over uranium enrichment, with Tehran calling it a “non-negotiable” right, while Washington views it as a “red line.”
In his latest interview, Trump expressed doubt about the possibility of a deal, citing Iran’s continued enrichment activities.
Currently, Iran is enriching uranium to 60 per cent — significantly above the 3.67 per cent cap stipulated by the 2015 nuclear agreement, and alarmingly close to the 90 per cent level needed for a nuclear warhead.
Western countries, including the United States and its ally Israel, have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
On Monday, the United Nations nuclear watchdog convened its Board of Governors in Vienna, with the session scheduled to continue until Friday, to review Iran’s nuclear activities and other matters.
The IAEA meeting followed the release of a critical report citing “less than satisfactory” cooperation from Tehran, particularly regarding past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites.
Iran denounced the report as baseless and absurd, alleging it relied on “forged documents” provided by arch-rival Israel.
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