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Iran bombing ‘very real’ if Donald Trump’s planned nuclear talks…: Report
The US is boosting its military presence in the region, sending a second aircraft carrier strike group and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to the Middle East.
Amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, a national security expert has warned that the country could face large-scale bombing raids and the risk of a drawn-out conflict if it refuses to engage in direct talks with the United States. The warning came as US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with “great danger” if it blocked efforts to negotiate, Daily Express (UK) reported.
Trump said a direct meeting between American and Iranian officials had been planned for Saturday in Oman. However, Tehran contradicted the claim, insisting that any discussions would be routed through an intermediary.
“We’re having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started. It’ll go on Saturday,” Trump said from the Oval Office, adding, “We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if the talks aren’t successful, I actually think it will be a very bad day for Iran,” Trump added.
According to the Daily Express report, the US has been strengthening its military presence in the region, with a second aircraft carrier strike group en route to the Middle East and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, deployed to the Indian Ocean base of Diego Garcia, within range of Iranian targets.
Dr Oz Hassan, Reader in National Security at the University of Warwick, told the UK publication that Trump could follow through on his threats. “The risk of military escalation is very real if tensions rise again,” he said.
Hassan said, “A small, targeted strike—perhaps on a nuclear site—might send a message but wouldn’t do much to stop Iran’s nuclear programme.”
“A serious attempt to destroy Iran’s capabilities would require a large, complex military operation, involving stealth bombers, powerful bunker-busting bombs, and attacks on Iran’s air defences and military systems. This would look less like a quick raid and more like the start of a major war,” he added.
Military pressure a bargaining tool in Iran talks?
Dr Pierre Pahlavi, an expert on Iran and geopolitics, who is Chair of the Department of Security and International Affairs and Deputy Director at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, said, “While it is still unlikely that the US will engage in full-scale war with Iran, it remains possible that targeted bombings of Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities could take place.”
“There is nothing preventing the US from delegating this task to its Israeli allies, offering more or less direct logistical support The idea here is once again to use military pressure as a bargaining chip to push the Iranians into negotiations, particularly those involving their nuclear program,” Dr Pierre Pahlavi told Daily Express.
The Daily Express also reported that opposition to Iran’s “ruling theocracy” is growing, with Iranian American scholars calling for a democratic alternative backed by local resistance units rather than foreign military intervention.
