The possibility of a military confrontation between the United States and Iran is rising as U.S. officials claim an increased threat risk to troops in Iraq and Syria and shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf.
US President Donald Trump said in an interview Sunday that while he does not want to go to war with Iran, he will not let it acquire nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran on Sunday, suggesting that if the Islamic republic attacks American interests, it will be destroyed.
Congressional leaders received a classified briefing on Iran from the White House Thursday following criticism that lawmakers have been kept out of the loop about recent military moves in the Middle East.
In the event of war with the United States, Iran ‘will not be alone.’
A US official said Thursday that Iranian missiles loaded on small boats in the Persian Gulf were among the ‘threats’ that have triggered a beefed-up military deployment in the region.
Top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani has met with Iran-linked Iraqi militias in Baghdad, telling them to ‘prepare for proxy war,’ according to a report Thursday, amid rapidly rising tensions between the Washington and Tehran.
The United States Wednesday ordered non-emergency staff evacuated from its Baghdad embassy due to an ‘imminent’ threat from Iranian-linked Iraqi militias, but President Donald Trump predicted Iran would ‘soon’ want to start talks.
Lawmakers from both parties in Congress demanded more information on the White House’s claims of rising threats in the Middle East, warning US President Donald Trump of a dangerous escalation with Iran.
Iran’s defense minister said Wednesday his country would defeat the US-Israel alliance in the region, amid rising tensions and fears of a potential war between Iran and the US.
The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps on Wednesday warned Tehran was on the brink of full-on conflict with its enemy, a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said there would not be a war with the United States amid escalating tensions.
Four oil tankers were attacked in the Middle East Sunday, leaving no casualties but significant structural damage to the vessels, and possibly confirming reports on Israeli television Friday that had warned of Iran’s intentions to strike back at Saudi oil assets.
Britain warned Monday that conflict might break out ‘by accident’ between the United States and Iran amid rising tensions, as European Union powers gathered to thrash out ways to keep the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic afloat.
France, Britain, and Germany, the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, held the Islamic Republic to its commitments as outlined in the deal this week in spite of recent threats from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to resume high-level enrichment of uranium.
Saudi Arabia said Monday two of its oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in attacks that caused ‘significant damage’ to the vessels, one of them as it was en route to pick up Saudi oil to take to the U.S.
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said on Sunday the U.S. military presence in the Gulf used to be a serious threat but now represents a target, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported.
A U.S. aircraft carrier strike group rushes toward the Persian Gulf. Decades-old B-52 bombers rumble down runways at desert air bases. The Pentagon, meanwhile, routes a Patriot missile battery and an amphibious supply ship to return to the region.
In recent days, the US has announced the deployment of an array of military power to the Middle East as tensions grow with Iran. On Friday, the US Department of Defense approved the addition of the USS Arlington and a Patriot battery to US Central Command to fill a request last week. The additional forces come as tensions with Iran are rising and the US has warned Iran that any attack by Iranian forces or their proxies will be met with retaliation.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will cancel the Moscow leg of his Russia trip, but will meet President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as planned on Tuesday, a State Department official said.
European countries said on Thursday they wanted to preserve Iran’s nuclear deal and rejected ‘ultimatums’ from Tehran, after Iran scaled back curbs on its nuclear program and threatened moves that might breach the pact.