Iran Threatens to Strike US Bases Amid Nuclear Talks

Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has warned that his country would target US military bases in the region if conflict broke out with the United States. The statement comes as nuclear talks between the two countries continue, with US President Donald Trump expressing growing skepticism about reaching a deal.

Nasirzadeh said that if a conflict was imposed on Iran, “all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries.” The threat is a significant escalation of tensions between the two nations, which have been negotiating a potential nuclear deal. Trump has previously threatened to attack Iran if no deal can be agreed upon.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated Tehran’s red lines, stating that Iran will not build nuclear weapons. “We have announced and the supreme leader has a belief that we will not build nuclear weapons. Come and evaluate it however you want,” Pezeshkian said. However, he emphasized that Iran has the right to conduct research and will not be dictated to by others.

Trump expressed growing skepticism about reaching a nuclear deal with Iran, stating that he is “less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago.” He repeated the US position that Iran would be stopped from developing a nuclear bomb, regardless of whether a deal is reached. “But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it,” Trump said.

Russia has offered to help find a resolution to the nuclear issue, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov suggesting that Moscow could provide practical assistance. Ryabkov proposed that Russia could remove nuclear material from Iran to be converted into civilian reactor fuel. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed the idea of cooperation, stressing that Iran does not wish to develop nuclear weapons.

The next round of talks is expected to take place later this week, with Iran set to deliver its counterproposal to a previous US offer. Araghchi expressed optimism that a deal can be reached, stating that “an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program is within reach — and could be achieved rapidly.”