Trump repeatedly has threatened to attack Iran if the negotiations fail \u2014 something Mideast nations fear could spiral into a new regional war. Already, Iran has said Israel and all US military bases in the Mideast would be considered legitimate targets.<\/p>\n
\t Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran\u2019s parliament speaker, separately said the US could either try diplomacy or face Iran\u2019s wrath.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you choose the table of diplomacy \u2014 a diplomacy in which the dignity of the Iranian nation and mutual interests are respected \u2014 we will also be at that table,\u201d Qalibaf said, according to the semiofficial Student News Network, a media outlet believed to be close to the all-volunteer Basij force of Iran\u2019s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if you decide to repeat past experiences through deception, lies, flawed analysis and false information, and launch an attack in the midst of negotiations, you will undoubtedly taste the firm blow of the Iranian nation and the country\u2019s defensive forces.\u201d<\/p>\n Satellite photos shot Tuesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The Associated Press appeared to show American vessels that are typically docked in Bahrain, the home of the US Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet, all out at sea.<\/p>\n The 5th Fleet referred questions to the US military\u2019s Central Command, which did not immediately respond. Before Iran\u2019s attack on Qatar in June, the 5th Fleet similarly scattered its ships at sea to protect against a potential attack.<\/p>\n Talks hang in balance<\/p>\n Iran and the US are due to meet on Thursday in Geneva, their third round of talks under the mediation of Oman, which has long been an interlocutor between Tehran and the West.<\/p>\n If the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible attack, as well as its mission and goals.<\/p>\n \t The US has not made clear the aims of possible military action. If the goal is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear negotiations, it\u2019s not clear whether limited strikes will work. If the goal is to remove Iran\u2019s leaders, that will likely commit the US to a more massive, longer military campaign. There has been no public sign of planning for what would come next, including the potential for chaos in Iran.<\/p>\n The status of Iran\u2019s nuclear program is another mystery. Trump earlier said American strikes \u201cobliterated\u201d it. Now, dismantling whatever remains of the program appears to be back on the administration\u2019s agenda. IAEA inspectors have not been allowed to inspect those sites and verify what remains.<\/p>\n There is also uncertainty about what any military action could mean for the wider region. Tehran could retaliate against American-allied nations of the Persian Gulf or Israel. Oil prices have risen in recent days in part due to those concerns.<\/p>\n \t Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites in June, saying the regime in Tehran had moved towards weaponization. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli military sites and cities. The US brokered a ceasefire immediately after its own bombing runs.<\/p>\n Satellite photos have shown Iran beginning to rebuild its missile production sites and doing some work at the three nuclear sites attacked by the US in June, at the tail end of the Israel-Iran war.<\/p>\n Iran, which vows to destroy Israel, has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. The West and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003. It had been enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity before the June attack \u2014 a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%, and which has no civilian use.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kenny Holston\/The New York Times via AP, Pool)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260224__98Q74CQ__v1__HighRes__GreeceUsIranUsMilitaryConflict-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford (L) is pictured docked at Souda Bay in the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete, on February 24, 2026. (Photo by Costas METAXAKIS \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26055428359317-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPeople drive their motorbikes in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, February 24, 2026. (Vahid Salemi\/AP)<\/p>\n
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