February 21, New Delhi — Iran and the United States are rapidly moving towards military conflict as hopes for a diplomatic solution to their standoff over Iran's nuclear program fade.
Iran's Gulf neighbors and Israel now believe a conflict is more likely than a settlement, with Washington deploying a significant military force in the region.
Israel's government stated that Tehran and Washington are preparing for possible joint military action, although no decision has yet been made on whether to carry out such an operation.
Two rounds of Iran-U.S. talks have stalled on core issues, from uranium enrichment to missiles and sanctions relief. After talks in Geneva on Tuesday, Araqchi said the sides had agreed on "guiding principles," but the White House said there was still distance between them.
Iran is expected to submit a written proposal in the coming days, a U.S. official said, and Araqchi said on Friday he expected to have a draft counterproposal ready within days.
However, Trump warned Iran on Thursday that it must make a deal over its nuclear program or "really bad things" will happen. U.S. officials say Trump has yet to make up his mind about using military force, although he acknowledged on Friday that he could order a limited strike to try to force Iran into a deal.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 28 to discuss Iran. A senior U.S. official said it would be mid-March before all U.S. forces were in place.