US has issued fresh threats regarding attacking Iran after following a second round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. The secretary of White House, Caroline Levitt, said on Tuesday and Wednesday that Iran would be very wise to make a deal with the US President Donald Trump after indirect talks in the Swiss city of Geneva ended without any significant decision.
The American media reports that the Trump administration is closer to a major war in the Middle East with Iran. A US military operation in Iran would be a massive, weeks-long campaign that would look more like a full-fledged war than last month’s pinpoint operations in Venezuela, sources say. According to the sources quoted by the American media, the operation is likely to be a joint US-Israeli campaign that would be much broader in scope and more existential for the regime than the Israeli-led 12-day war last June in which the US eventually joined to take out Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.
This kind of a war is expected to have massive influence on the entire region and major implications for the remaining three years of the Trump presidency. According to NBC News, the Defense Department is sending a large area of additional weaponry to the Middle East, including more warships, air defenses and submarines, in preparation for a possible military strike on Iran if President Donald Trump gives a nod to the decision.
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The buildup of military hardware comes as the U.S. and Iran are still pursuing diplomatic talks that could help avert a conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted good progress after indirect talks between Trump’s special envoy Steve Vitkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner in Geneva on Tuesday. However, the talks are less likely to bring a breakthrough in the issue regarding a conflict on the fundamental issues. The Trump administration has insisted that Iran agree to restrictions on its missile programs as well as its nuclear work, which Iran has so far rejected as out of the question.
Trump’s National Security Advisor huddled in the Situation Room of the White House on Wednesday to discuss Iran, according to a senior administration official. No final decision about potential military action has been made so far, the official said, as the U.S. awaits a written response from Iran that could address some of the outstanding areas of disagreement. Officials, however, informed that the U.S. military forces required for possible action on Iran would be in place by mid-March.
Fresh threats from the United States to attack Tehran comes amid India, Iran and Russia announcing joint naval drills in the Sea of Oman to deter any unilateral action against in the region. This year, in January, Trump had issued threats to attack the Iranian regime following the government’s aggressive crackdown on anti-government protesters. Tehran responded by threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil export route for Gulf oil and warning that it could strike U.S. military bases in the region.
However, the potential of a regional war was mitigated by the diplomatic efforts made by the Gulf states, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, reducing the escalation significantly. US and Iran had the first round of indirect talks in Oman on February 6 before meeting in Geneva on Tuesday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that there has been an agreement on the guiding principles for a potential deal, however, US Vice President JD Vance said that Tehran is yet to acknowledge all of the red lines marked by Washington.
US is demanding Iran to stop its uranium enrichment also seeking to widen negotiations to include non-nuclear issues such as Tehran’s missile stockpile. Iran argues that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and said it is willing to discuss its nuclear program within certain limits only in exchange for sanctions relief. It has also rejected zero uranium enrichment and ruled out talks on compromising on its missile capabilities.
