On Monday, thousands of people in Iran got a strange alert on their phones. The message, written in Persian and sent from an unknown number, read: “The US President is a man of action. Wait and see.”
Tensions between Iran and the United States keep getting worse. President Donald Trump has openly threatened to attack Iran for refusing to give up its nuclear program. Lately, Trump’s tone has only grown sharper, and the US has been sending more military forces to the Middle East just in case things turn violent.
Mystery Alert in Iran Amid Rising US Tensions
Trump has even talked about launching a “limited military strike” on Iran. At the same time, both countries are supposed to meet for another round of talks in Geneva on Thursday.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi spoke to CBS on Sunday. He sounded cautiously optimistic, saying there’s a good chance diplomacy could work. Still, he made it clear Iran won’t back down just because the US is flexing its military muscle.
On Monday, the US embassy in Lebanon evacuated dozens of staff members, bracing for whatever might come next. The region is on edge, and the fear of war is real. Iran warned the US that any attack would be met “ferociously.”
Iran says it’s working on a new agreement about its nuclear program and plans to share a draft proposal with mediators soon. Tehran insists its nuclear work is peaceful, but the West doesn’t buy it since many believe Iran wants an atomic bomb.
Meanwhile, students in Iran are back in the streets. As the new semester started, university students launched fresh protests against the government, chanting slogans from last winter’s nationwide demonstrations. Those earlier protests, which peaked in January, were crushed by security forces in a deadly crackdown.
Trump isn’t exactly patient. He gave Iran just 15 days to make a deal, warning that the US might attack with its massive military presence if talks don’t go anywhere.
Iran wants negotiations to stick to its nuclear program, but Washington wants to talk about more: Iran’s missiles and its ties to militant groups across the region.
Iran-US Crisis Deepens: Military Build-Up, Nuclear Talks and War Warnings
Last week, the two sides wrapped up a second round of indirect talks in Switzerland, with Oman helping to mediate. Another round is set for Thursday, at least, Iran and Oman say so, but the US hasn’t confirmed yet.
US negotiator Steve Witkoff told Fox News that Trump is frustrated Iran hasn’t “capitulated” despite all the pressure from Washington’s military buildup.
The European Union, mostly left out of the mediation efforts, is pushing for diplomacy. “We don’t need another war in this region,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. She pointed out that Iran is at its weakest in years, so now’s the time to find a peaceful solution.
Iran’s leadership has been dealing with a lot lately, mass protests, last year’s short war with Israel, and the weakening of their regional allies.
