WW3 fears explode as Iran launches missiles before US nuke negotiation | World | News
Iran has launched large-scale war games in the Strait of Hormuz – a critical global oil supply route – just one day before nuclear negotiations with the United States begin. Tensions are mounting as Tehran has warned it could shut the Strait entirely if Washington launches an attack, while Donald Trump has told Iran in return to brace for “very bad” consequences if he does not get what he wants.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is conducting the drills to prepare for “potential security and military threats”, Iranian state TV said on Monday (February 16). In footage shared by Iran, senior military officials can be seen overseeing missile strikes, explosions and soldiers on a mock battlefield, as well as Iranian rocket launchers taking down drones and ships in the Strait of Hormuz. “We used weapons on these islands that have very high accuracy,” IRGC chief Mohamed Pakpour said in one video.
This comes after Donald Trump launched his own series of threats and military manoeuvres against Iran, including sending ships in their direction. The US president has backed a regime change in a bid to stop Tehran developing nuclear weapons – a claim Iran denies.
“I’ll be involved in those talks, indirectly. And they’ll be very important,” he said aboard Air Force One on Monday, warning: “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal”.
He added that Iran learned the consequences of a tough US position in talks last summer when the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
“We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s,” Mr Trump said, referring to the stealth bombers that carried out the bombings. “I hope they’re going to be more reasonable.”
The US has already deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East – sparking fears of a full-blown conflict. The USS Gerald R Ford is on its way to join the USS Abraham Lincoln, already stationed in the region. According to the BBC, US destroyers, combat ships and fighter jets have also been tracked in the region.
Meanwhile, American forces withdrew from two bases in eastern Syria last week, which some have translated to mean that the US is bracing for Iranian ballistic missile strikes in retaliation for an attack.
The second round of talks in Switzerland – mediated by Oman – will focus on its nuclear programme and the potential lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the US on Iran’s energy, financial, and manufacturing sectors. Washington has previously indicated it wants to discuss other issues as well, such as Iran’s missile stockpile.
