Trump\u2019s threat to strike Iran spikes tensions amid Gaza, Lebanon wars, Yemen strikes, and Israel-Iran fire
\n Tehran
\nIran is pushing back against US demands that it directly negotiate over its nuclear programme or be bombed, warning neighbours that host US bases that they could be in the firing line if involved, a senior Iranian official said.
\nAlthough Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump\u2019s demand for direct talks, it wants to continue indirect negotiations through Oman, a longtime channel for messages between the rival states, said the official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
\n\u201cIndirect talks offer a chance to evaluate Washington\u2019s seriousness about a political solution with Iran,\u201d said the official.
\nAlthough that path could be \u201crocky\u201d, such talks could begin soon if U.S. messaging supported it, the official said.
\nIran has issued notices to Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain that any support for a US attack on Iran, including the use of their air space or territory by U.S. military during an attack, would be considered an act of hostility, the official said.
\nSuch an act \u201cwill have severe consequences for them\u201d, the official said, adding that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had placed Iran\u2019s armed forces on high alert.
\nWarnings by Trump of military action against Iran have jangled already tense nerves across the region after open warfare in Gaza and Lebanon, military strikes on Yemen, a change of leadership in Syria and Israeli-Iranian exchanges of fire.
\nWorries of a wider regional conflagration have unsettled states around the Gulf, a body of water bordered on one side by Iran and on the other by US-allied Arab monarchies that carries a significant proportion of global oil supplies.
\nSpokespeople for the governments of Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Turkey\u2019s Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of a warning but that such messages could be conveyed by other channels.
\nOn Wednesday, Iranian state media reported that Kuwait had reassured Iran that it would not accept any aggressive action being directed at other countries from its soil.
\nIran\u2019s ally Russia said on Thursday that US threats of military strikes against the Islamic Republic were unacceptable and on Friday called for restraint.
\nIran is trying to gain more support from Russia, but is sceptical about Moscow\u2019s commitment to its ally, said a second Iranian official. This \u201cdepends on the dynamics\u201d of the relationship between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Trump\u2019s threat to strike Iran spikes tensions amid Gaza, Lebanon wars, Yemen strikes, and Israel-Iran fire Tehran Iran is pushing back against US demands that it directly negotiate over its nuclear programme or be bombed, warning neighbours that host US bases that they could be in the firing line if involved, a senior Iranian official […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-470949","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n