Tensions escalate ahead of Oman talks as Washington signals readiness for force
\n washington
\nUS President Donald Trump on Wednesday said military action against Iran remained \u201cabsolutely\u201d on the table if Tehran refuses to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.
\nSpeaking ahead of anticipated nuclear talks in Oman this weekend, Trump stressed that while diplomacy is the goal, the United States is prepared to act if required. He noted that Israel would play a \u201cleading\u201d role in any potential strike.
\n\u201cIf it requires military, we\u2019re going to have military,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cIsrael will obviously be very much involved in that. They\u2019ll be the leader of that. But nobody leads us\u2014we do what we want to do.\u201d
\nThe US Treasury on Wednesday announced fresh sanctions targeting Iran\u2019s nuclear infrastructure, including five entities and one individual linked to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
\nIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that Tehran is not seeking a nuclear bomb. In a notable shift in tone, he also invited American investment into the Islamic Republic, saying there is no opposition from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to such engagement.
\n\u201cAmerican investors: Come and invest,\u201d Pezeshkian said in a televised address.
\nTrump\u2019s comments follow earlier remarks suggesting the planned talks may not be progressing well. The US has described the Oman meeting as a direct engagement, while Iran insists the talks will be indirect.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the talks but warned that any deal must prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He pointed to Libya\u2019s disarmament in 2003 as a possible model.
\n\u201cI think that would be a good thing,\u201d Netanyahu said. \u201cBut whatever happens, we have to make sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons.\u201d
\nTrump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, calling it \u201cthe worst deal ever\u201d. Subsequent efforts to restore the agreement, including under President Joe Biden, failed to produce results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tensions escalate ahead of Oman talks as Washington signals readiness for force washington US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said military action against Iran remained \u201cabsolutely\u201d on the table if Tehran refuses to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. Speaking ahead of anticipated nuclear talks in Oman this weekend, Trump stressed that while diplomacy is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-471738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n