Iranian official says regime has warned Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain that there will be “severe consequences” if their airspace is used for an American attack on Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran has threatened other nations in the Middle East over the potential for American military strikes against its nuclear weapons program, even as it continues to reject direct negotiations of said nuclear program with the US, Reuters reported.
An Iranian official told Reuters that the regime would only accept indirect talks with the US at this time, stating, “Indirect talks offer a chance to evaluate Washington’s seriousness about a political solution with Iran.”
The official also stated that Iran has given warnings to Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain that it will consider any assistance given to an American strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, such as permitting the aircraft used in such an attack to use their airspace, an act of hostility against Iran that will “have severe consequences for them.”
US President Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believes Iran wants to hold direct talks with the US about the Iranian nuclear program.
“It’s better if we have direct talks. I think it goes faster and you understand the other side a lot better than if you go through intermediators,” said Trump.
“They wanted to use intermediators. I don’t think that’s necessarily true anymore. I think they’re concerned. I think they feel vulnerable and I don’t want them to feel that way,” he added.
Asked whether he had sent another letter to Iran, the President replied, “No, I’m just telling you, I think they want to have direct talks.”
Trump’s comments come despite the fact that Iran recently rejected his offer for direct talks, which was outlined in a letter sent by Trump to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last month, Trump warned that “bad things” would happen to Iran if it does not agree to a deal on its nuclear program.
Two days later, the President warned Iran that “if they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
In response, Iran’s state-controlled Iranian newspaper The Tehran Timeswrote in a post on X that Iran’s missiles are “loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch.”
Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Trump against any attack on Iran, saying that if the US follows through on its threats, it will receive a “strong blow.”
