Iran has warned that US bases, facilities and assets would be “legitimate targets” if the US follows through on its military threats and attacks. President Donald Trump has given Iran “probably 10 days” to reach a nuclear deal amid a massive US military buildup in the region. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Trump’s terms ‘completely unacceptable to Iran’
President Donald Trump has given Iran 10 to 15 days to make a “meaningful” nuclear deal. But Barbara Slavin from the Washington DC-based Stimson Center says a breakthrough in the latest talks, which began in Oman on February 6, is unlikely since the US terms are “completely unacceptable” to Iran.
“The Iranians could postpone or have a moratorium on uranium enrichment for a few years,” said Slavin. “But they will not give up what they consider to be their right to enrich uranium on their own soil. That’s something that they have always refused to do.”
Responding to a report that Trump is weighing an initial strike on Iran, Slavin says the US goal in Iran remains unclear. “The United States is not going to be able to bring regime change from the air. It’s not going to be able to destroy all of Iran’s missile facilities or its relationship with proxies. I’m very worried that groups like the Houthis will begin to attack shipping in the Red Sea again,” she said. “We will see other responses from other Iran-backed groups and this could rapidly escalate. Trump doesn’t like long wars, so I hope he knows what he is doing.”
Iran warns US bases, assets ‘legitimate targets’ if it attacks
Iran on Thursday warned that US bases, facilities and assets would be “legitimate targets” if the United States follows through on its military threats and attacks.
Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, made the remarks in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council that was seen by AFP.
President Donald Trump has deployed warships, fighter jets and other military hardware to the Middle East as he seeks to block Iran from building a nuclear bomb, something Tehran says it is not pursuing.
The letter cited a social media post by Trump on Wednesday, where he said the United States may need to use UK military bases, including one on an Indian Ocean island, “should Iran decide not to make a deal.”
“Such a belligerent statement by the President of the United States…signals a real risk of military aggression, the consequences of which would be catastrophic for the region and would constitute a grave threat to international peace and security,” Iravani wrote in the letter.
Yesterday’s key developments:
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he believes 10 to 15 days is “enough time” for Iran to reach a deal. But the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider US and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.
Iran has agreed to draw up a written proposal to address US concerns raised during this week’s indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, according to a senior US official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
