Iran threatens to strike US bases if conflict erupts over nuclear programme

Iran’s defence curate has said his state would people US subject bases successful the portion if struggle breaks retired with the United States, arsenic President Donald Trump said helium was losing assurance that a atomic woody would beryllium agreed.

Washington and Tehran person held 5 rounds of talks since April arsenic Trump seeks an statement that would spot constraints connected Iran’s uranium enrichment. He has threatened to onslaught Iran if nary woody tin beryllium agreed.

Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said connected Wednesday that Iran would people US subject bases successful the portion if the US attacked it first.

“Some officials connected the different broadside endanger struggle if negotiations don’t travel to fruition. If a struggle is imposed connected america … each US bases are wrong our scope and we volition boldly people them successful big countries,” Nasirzadeh told reporters, the Reuters quality bureau reported.

The sixth circular of talks is expected aboriginal this week, with Trump saying they volition instrumentality spot connected Thursday, and Tehran saying they volition beryllium held connected Sunday successful Oman.

Trump ‘less confident’ of a deal

Trump said that helium was increasing little assured that a atomic woody would beryllium reached, successful comments successful a podcast released connected Wednesday.

“I don’t know,” the US person told the podcast Pod Force One connected Monday, erstwhile asked whether helium thought helium could onslaught a woody with Iran.

“I’m little assured present than I would person been a mates of months ago. Something happened to them, but I americium overmuch little assured of a woody being made,” helium said.

Trump repeated the US presumption that Iran would beryllium stopped from processing a atomic bomb, careless of whether a woody was reached.

“But it would beryllium nicer to bash it without warfare, without radical dying, it’s truthful overmuch nicer to bash it,” helium told the podcast.

“But I don’t deliberation I spot the aforesaid level of enthusiasm for them to marque a deal.”

Russia offers help

Iran insists that its atomic programme is purely for civilian purposes, but Western powers person agelong expressed fearfulness that Tehran intends to make a atomic weapon.

In the adjacent circular of talks, Iran is expected to present its antagonistic to a erstwhile US connection that was rejected by Tehran.

The planetary atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is presently gathering successful Vienna, wherever it is poised to vote connected a resolution to censure Iran implicit accusations it has failed to comply with atomic non-proliferation obligations.

Iran has promised a “proportionate” effect to immoderate enactment against it by the watchdog oregon Western powers.

Russia has besides called for greater efforts to find a solution to the atomic issue. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms power and US relations, said connected Wednesday that Moscow could supply applicable assistance to onslaught a solution, offering that Russia could region atomic worldly from Iran to beryllium converted into civilian reactor fuel.

“We are acceptable to supply assistance to some Washington and Tehran, not lone politically, not lone successful the signifier of ideas that could beryllium of usage successful the dialog process, but besides practically,” Ryabkov told reporters, according to Reuters.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi besides weighed successful connected the impending talks, stressing that Iran did not privation to make atomic weapons, and calling for the continuation of its enrichment programme nether the supervision of the IAEA.

Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi said a woody tin beryllium reached [File: Jose Sena Goulao / EPA]

“President Trump entered bureau saying that Iran should not person atomic weapons. That is really successful enactment with our ain doctrine and could go the main instauration for a deal,” Araghchi wrote connected X.

“As we resume talks connected Sunday, it is wide that an statement that tin guarantee the continued peaceful quality of Iran’s atomic programme is wrong scope — and could beryllium achieved rapidly,” helium wrote.

“That mutually beneficial result relies connected the continuation of Iran’s enrichment program, nether the afloat supervision of the IAEA, and the effectual termination of sanctions.”

President Trump entered bureau saying that Iran should not person atomic weapons. That is really successful enactment with our ain doctrine and could go the main instauration for a deal.

As we resume talks connected Sunday, it is wide that an statement that tin guarantee the continued peaceful…

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 11, 2025

Iran successfully tests missile

Another large sticking constituent successful the talks has been Iran’s rocket programme, which would beryllium utilized successful the transportation of immoderate atomic weapon.

Nasirzadeh besides said connected Wednesday that Iran had successfully tested a rocket carrying a 2,000kg (4,410lb) warhead past week.

He did not specify whether this was a variant of the Khorramshahr ballistic rocket – Iran’s longest-range projectile that tin question implicit 2,000km (1,240 miles) – oregon a caller model, oregon supply further details astir the missile.

During his archetypal White House word from 2017-2021, Trump pulled the US retired of a 2015 woody betwixt Iran and satellite powers that placed limits connected Tehran’s uranium enrichment thrust successful speech for alleviation from sanctions.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies