Iran doubles down as US signals Israel could strike during nuclear talks

Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities person remained defiant amid concerns that Israel could motorboat an onslaught connected Iran as the planetary atomic watchdog adopts different Western-led censure resolution.

Even arsenic Oman confirmed connected Thursday that it volition big a sixth circular of talks connected Sunday betwixt Iran and the United States implicit Tehran’s atomic programme, reports by outlets specified arsenic The New York Times, quoting officials successful the US and Europe, warned that Israel is “ready” to onslaught Iran, adjacent without subject backing from Washington. Israel has long threatened to onslaught Iran’s atomic sites.

The medication of US President Donald Trump besides carried retired a partial evacuation of embassy staff successful Iraq and dependants of US unit crossed the Middle East successful a motion of escalating hostility successful the region.

“I don’t privation to accidental imminent, but it looks similar it’s thing that could precise good happen,” said Trump astatine a White House lawsuit connected Thursday, commenting connected the likelihood of an Israeli strike.

“We volition not springiness successful to America’s coercion and bullying,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said successful a televised code successful the occidental metropolis of Ilam connected Thursday, pointing retired that Iran resisted 8 years of penetration successful the 1980s by neighbouring Iraq, which was backed by galore overseas powers.

Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told authorities tv that if Israel attacks, it would beryllium met with a “history-making” effect that would spell acold beyond Iran’s 2 rounds of retaliatory strikes connected Israel past year.

He said Iran is not “defenceless and encircled” similar Gaza, wherever the Israeli subject has killed much than 55,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023.

Speaking to a assemblage successful Tehran, IRGC Quds Force commandant Esmail Qaani said Iran’s equipped forces person made important strides successful improving their attacking capabilities successful the months since the erstwhile rocket barrages launched against Israel.

“If they deliberation the axis of absorption and Iran person been weakened and past boast based connected that, it is each a dream,” said the commander, who leads the outer unit of the IRGC, which is tasked with expanding Iran’s determination influence.

Mohammad Bagheri, main of unit of the Iranian equipped forces, announced connected Thursday that helium has fixed the bid to motorboat much subject exercises aft a series of large-scale drills were held crossed Iran earlier this year. An array of missiles and drones, warships, peculiar forces and adjacent underground rocket bases featured successful those drills.

On Wednesday, Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh reiterated that each US subject bases successful countries crossed the portion are morganatic targets if struggle breaks retired with the US.

He said Iran had successfully launched an unnamed ballistic rocket past week with a 2,000kg (4,410lb) warhead and promised casualties “on the different broadside volition beryllium greater and would unit the US to permission the region”.

Iran to physique 3rd enrichment site

After days of deliberation, the committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) connected Thursday passed a solution to censure Iran implicit its advancing atomic programme and respective outstanding cases involving unexplained atomic materials recovered astatine Iranian sites.

The solution was enactment guardant successful Vienna by the US on with France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the 3 European nations who are inactive enactment to Iran’s 2015 atomic woody with satellite powers, which Trump unilaterally abandoned successful 2018.

The planetary atomic watchdog has adopted several Western-led censure resolutions against Iran implicit the past fewer years, but the 1 connected Thursday was the astir superior successful astir 2 decades due to the fact that it alleges Iran is not complying with its atomic nonproliferation obligations.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs branded the accusation “completely baseless and fabricated” and said Western powers are utilizing the planetary assemblage arsenic a instrumentality for exerting governmental pressure.

Tehran’s effect was besides significant. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Foreign Ministry jointly announced that the state would physique its 3rd uranium enrichment tract astatine a “secure” location.

They added that first-generation centrifuges volition beryllium replaced with sixth-generation machines astatine the Fordow enrichment plant, which volition considerably boost Iran’s quality to make highly enriched uranium.

The Natanz and Fordow facilities, some built heavy underground to support them against bunker-buster munitions utilized by the US and Israel, are presently the lone facilities enriching uranium successful Iran. They are some nether dense supervision by the IAEA.

Iran is present enriching uranium up to 60 percent and maintains that its atomic programme is strictly peaceful and has civilian uses, specified arsenic powerfulness procreation and the manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals. Uranium indispensable beryllium astatine 90 percent purity to physique atomic weapons.

‘Zero’ enrichment request looms implicit talks

Iran and the US are erstwhile again heading to Muscat adjacent arsenic they inactive disagree implicit enrichment, the cardinal contented for immoderate imaginable agreement.

The 2015 atomic woody allowed Iran to enrich uranium up to 3.67 percent nether IAEA monitoring, but Trump, who present says helium is little assured astir a woody with Iran, has insisted connected “zero” enrichment taking spot wrong Iran.

Tehran, which this week rejected different US connection that included zero enrichment, is slated to offer a counterproposal soon to effort to beforehand the negotiations.

Ideas for a atomic consortium that includes Iran’s neighbours to bolster spot person truthful acold failed to supply immoderate breakthrough.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad main David Barnea are expected to conscionable with US envoy Steve Witkoff connected Friday earlier helium heads to the Omani superior for the latest circular of talks.

Tehran leans connected nationalist sentiment

In Tehran’s Vanak Square, authorities this week installed a immense sculpture of Arash Kamangir (Arash the Archer), a leader successful Iranian mythology.

The communicative of Arash progressive the leader putting his beingness successful information by climbing Mount Damavand – the highest highest successful Iran astatine 5,609 metres (18,402ft) and a awesome of nationalist pridefulness – to usage his archery skills to acceptable Iran’s borders. In the story, his arrow flies for days earlier mounting Iran’s boundaries with Turan, a humanities portion successful Central Asia.

The communicative is 1 that evokes a consciousness of nationalist pridefulness among each Iranians. When images of the sculpture went viral connected societal media, immoderate Iranians praised the determination portion others criticised it arsenic an effort to pat nationalist sentiment astatine a clip erstwhile Iran whitethorn beryllium attacked.

مجسمه بزرگ ۱۵ متری از آرش کمانگیر امروز در میدان ونک تهران نصب شد. pic.twitter.com/QQBglpxWXO

— Azadeh Mokhtari (@AzadeMokhtari) June 10, 2025

Translation: A 15-metre-high [50ft-high] sculpture of Arash Kamangir was installed astatine Tehran’s Vanak Square today.

But adjacent with the spectre of warfare seeming to loom implicit Iran again, markets successful the state person remained comparatively unchangeable successful caller weeks arsenic they expect the results of negotiations with the US.

The Iranian rial changed hands successful Tehran for astir 840,000 per US dollar connected Thursday, having lone somewhat dipped compared with the days earlier and its quality of much subject and governmental unit connected Iran.

“Most radical I’ve spoken to present are pursuing the quality of the talks with the US and Israel’s threats precise closely, but there’s nary panic,” a 36-year-old vendor astatine Tehran’s Grand Bazaar told Al Jazeera, asking to stay anonymous.

After years of stringent sanctions, on with section mismanagement, Iran has been facing consistently precocious inflation. It presently stands supra 30 percent. Iranians are besides chopped disconnected from planetary outgo networks and banned from astir planetary services owed to the sanctions.

“Nobody wants a war,” the vendor said. “We person capable problems arsenic is. I truly anticipation they scope a deal.”