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Trump Pushes US Closer to Iran Strikes Amid Oman-Backed Nuclear Deal Talks

Trump Pushes US Closer to Iran Strikes Amid Oman-Backed Nuclear Deal Talks
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President Donald Trump moved the United States closer to potential military strikes on Iran even as Oman’s foreign minister said a nuclear deal “could be reached tomorrow,” leaving diplomacy and war preparations unfolding in parallel across Geneva and the Persian Gulf washingtonpost +2. Trump has publicly given Tehran roughly 10–15 days to accept U.S. terms or face unspecified “bad things,” a self‑imposed deadline that now overlaps with what mediators describe as the most serious talks in years axios +1.

The third round of indirect U.S.–Iran negotiations concluded in Geneva this week without a signed agreement, but both Tehran and mediator Oman reported “significant” progress on a framework to roll back Iran’s nuclear advances responsiblestatecraft +1. At the same time, Washington has assembled what officials and analysts called the largest U.S. military deployment to the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion, underscoring how close the region may be to a new conflict washingtonpost +1.

How Far Has the U.S. Moved Toward Strikes?

Over the past two weeks, the Pentagon has surged at least two aircraft carrier strike groups — the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln — plus a flotilla of at least 16 warships and more than 150 U.S. aircraft into the broader Middle East and adjacent waters, according to U.S. and allied officials washingtonpost +2. F‑22 stealth fighters and refueling tankers have been forward‑deployed to Israel, while additional bombers and air defenses have been pushed into the region, moves military analysts say would enable multi‑wave strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites on short notice nytimes +2.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has ordered nonessential staff and families to leave, and other Western governments have quietly begun similar drawdowns, indicating they are preparing for potential escalation washingtonpost. Oil prices have climbed to multi‑month highs on fears of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, and UAE stock markets slipped as investors priced in higher geopolitical risk pbs +1. Vice President JD Vance insisted any operation would not become an open‑ended war, but former officials such as Brett McGurk have warned that even “limited” strikes could trigger a wider regional confrontation that would be hard to contain cbsnews.

Inside Oman’s Mediation and the Edge of a Nuclear Deal

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, long a discreet intermediary between Washington and Tehran, emerged unusually publicly this week to describe what he called “substantial” or “significant” progress in Geneva cnn +1. He said Iran had agreed in principle to irreversibly dilute its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium — close to weapons‑grade — commit to “zero accumulation” of such material going forward, and open key facilities to enhanced international inspections, steps that would mark the most far‑reaching nuclear concessions since the original 2015 deal cnn +1.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the talks “very good” and said technical negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency were due to begin as early as Monday, but insisted Tehran would not abandon its right to peaceful nuclear technology or broader enrichment responsiblestatecraft +1. The IAEA has separately warned it no longer has “continuity of knowledge” about parts of Iran’s nuclear program after years of restricted access, casting uncertainty over any verification regime nypost. U.S. officials have been more guarded in public, acknowledging progress while stressing that key gaps remain over enrichment limits, missiles and regional proxy activity, and making no commitment to sanctions relief washingtonpost +2.

The Bigger Picture

The collision between a visible U.S. war posture and an apparently near‑finished diplomatic framework has sharpened pressure on both Trump and Iran’s leadership to decide whether they prefer a precarious deal or a risky confrontation. With oil markets on edge, regional allies bracing for spillover, and experts warning that even a short campaign could redraw the Middle East security map, the coming days will test whether Oman’s “deal tomorrow” optimism can outrun the momentum of the largest U.S. military buildup in the region in more than two decades washingtonpost +2.