The United States has issued new threats against Tehran after a second round of nuclear talks, as Iran and Russia announced joint naval drills in the Sea of Oman to deter any “unilateral action” in the region.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that “Iran would be very wise to make a deal” with US President Donald Trump, after indirect talks in the Swiss city of Geneva ended without a significant breakthrough.

Leavitt told reporters that while some progress was made on Tuesday, “we’re still very apart on some issues”.

Trump – who has deployed two US aircraft carriers and thousands of troops to the Gulf region – escalated his rhetoric on social media.

“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal,” the US may need to use an Indian Ocean airbase in the Chagos Islands, “in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime”, he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

A previous negotiating effort collapsed last year when Israel launched attacks on Iran, triggering a 12-day war that Washington joined in by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Trump issued new threats of military action in January following a deadly Iranian crackdown on antigovernment protesters. Tehran responded by threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz – a vital oil export route for Gulf oil – and warning it could strike US military bases in the region.

The exchange heightened fears of a regional war and prompted diplomatic efforts by Gulf states, including Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to prevent escalation.

Guiding principles

Iran and the US held a first round of indirect talks in Oman on February 6 before meeting in Geneva on Tuesday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the sides had agreed on “guiding principles” for a potential deal, but US Vice President JD Vance said Tehran had yet to acknowledge all of Washington’s red lines.

The US is demanding that Iran forgo uranium enrichment on its soil and has sought to widen negotiations to include non-nuclear issues, such as Tehran’s missile stockpile.

Iran insists that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes and says it is willing to discuss limits only in exchange for sanctions relief. It has rejected zero uranium ‌enrichment and ruled out talks on its missile capabilities.

Even as diplomacy resumed, the US continues to build up its military presence near Iran. Trump has ordered a second aircraft carrier to the region, with the first, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its nearly 80 aircraft, positioned about 700 kilometres (435 miles) from the Iranian coast as of Sunday, according to satellite imagery.

Iran has also sought to display its military might, with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) holding a series of war games on Monday and Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz to prepare for “potential security and military threats”.

Iran-Russia drills

Tehran also announced on Wednesday new joint naval drills with Russia in the Sea of Oman.

Rear Admiral Hassan Maqsoudlou said the exercises on Thursday were intended “to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries”.

They are “also aimed at preventing any unilateral action in the region” and enhancing coordination against threats to maritime security, including risks to commercial vessels and oil tankers, he said.

Iranian authorities also issued a notice to airmen of planned rocket launches ⁠across parts of the country’s south on Thursday from 03:30 to 13:30 GMT.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meanwhile, warned that any new ⁠US strike ⁠on Iran would have serious consequences and urged restraint to find a solution to enable Tehran to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme.

“The consequences are not good,” Lavrov said in the interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya television, which was posted on his ministry’s website. “There have already been strikes on Iran on nuclear sites under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency. From what we can judge, there were real risks of a nuclear incident.”

He added that escalating tensions could undermine recent improvements in relations between Iran and neighbouring states, particularly Saudi Arabia.

“No one wants an increase in tension. Everyone understands this is playing with fire,” he said.

Rubio to visit Israel

The Reuters news agency, citing a senior US official, reported that Iran agreed during the Geneva talks to submit a written proposal on addressing Washington’s concerns.

Top US national security advisers met in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday and were told all US ⁠forces deployed to the region should be in place soon, the official said.

“The president has ordered the continued buildup in the region, ‌including ‌the arrival of the second carrier group. Full forces should be in place by mid-March,” the senior US official said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to discuss Iran on February 28, the official said.

The Israeli Kan public broadcaster, meanwhile, reported that Israel is preparing for the possibility that Washington could give the green light for strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile system.

Barbara Slavin, a distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, said she expected further attacks on Iran by the US and Israel, possibly in the near term.

“What the objectives are, we have yet to see. Can it be contained? Will others be drawn in? These are all really important questions, and we don’t have answers to them,” she said.

“Frankly, I do not see a basis for an agreement yet,” she added. “It doesn’t look as though these talks were very extensive. They lasted only a couple of hours … And we do have this massive buildup. So I’m very concerned.”

“We will all be very nervously checking the news for the next few days,” she said.

(ALJAZEERA)

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