Tensions over Iran continue to escalate, with representatives from Washington and Tehran expected to meet in Geneva on Thursday for a new round of talks on Iran's nuclear program. However, the two countries continue to prepare their armies for a possible military clash, and this topic continues to be the focus of a number of Western publications, BTA reported.
V. "New York Times" writes that US President Donald Trump has told his advisers that if diplomacy fails and if possible strikes on certain sites in the Islamic Republic do not force the Iranian leadership to abandon its nuclear program, Washington will consider the possibility of launching a much larger attack in the coming months.
The talks expected on Thursday appear to be the last chance to avoid military conflict, the publication notes.
Although Trump has not made a final decision, his advisers told the "New York Times" that things are moving towards a first strike in the coming days to show Iranian leaders that they must give up developing nuclear weapons.
A number of targets are being considered – from headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), through nuclear facilities, to sites related to Iran's ballistic missile program.
Trump has told his advisers that if Iran does not accept American demands after these strikes, a military intervention aimed at removing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could follow later this year, the "New York Times" also writes.
Even within the ranks of the US administration, however, there are doubts that this goal can be achieved only with air strikes, the publication comments. "New York Times" also notes that behind the scenes the two sides are considering a new proposal that could prevent military conflict – a very limited uranium enrichment program that Iran could implement only for medical purposes.
"I believe there is still a good chance for a diplomatic solution,""The New York Times" quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying in an interview with CBS television broadcast yesterday. "So there is no need for any buildup of military power; it can neither help nor pressure us," Araghchi added.
In fact, pressure is the key to these negotiations,"The New York Times" believes. The United States has deployed its largest military force in the region in the last 23 years in the waters around Iran. This includes two aircraft carrier groups, dozens of fighter jets, bombers and tanker aircraft, as well as anti-missile batteries, the publication recalls.
However, the US government has not given a clear explanation of its military goals in Iran, whose population exceeds 90 million people, notes the "New York Times". President Trump often speaks of preventing the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other US diplomats point to a number of other motives for military action: protecting Iranian protesters from security forces, destroying a missile arsenal that Iran could use to strike Israel, and ending Tehran's support for "Hamas" and "Hezbollah".
European representatives who participated in the recent Munich Security Conference expressed doubt that military pressure could force the Iranian leadership to abandon a program that has become a symbol of resistance to the United States, the "New York Times" also wrote. But possible American military action could also provoke a nationalist reaction, even among Iranians who are eagerly awaiting the end of Ayatollah Khamenei's brutal rule, the "New York Times" predicted.
"A war on several fronts - this is the scenario that has worried Israel for several days," wrote the German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAC).
According to media reports in mid-January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised President Trump not to launch an attack on Iran, citing concerns that Israel's missile defenses were not well-prepared. During the 12-day war between Israel and the Islamic Republic in June, Iranian long-range missiles carried out some devastating strikes, FAC wrote.
Even more dangerous from the Israeli point of view is the possibility that this time the most important Iranian proxy - – – "Hezbollah" - will intervene. The KGIR has armed the Lebanese Shiite group with missiles and drones so that it can open another front in the event of an American and, above all, Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic, the German publication continues.
"Hezbollah" has lost some of its striking power after the Israeli army severely defeated the Shiite group in the fall of 2024. "Hezbollah"'s missile arsenal has been significantly reduced and almost its entire leadership has been eliminated. But the memory of the events of the previous months, when the northern part of the country was regularly attacked with drones and missiles launched from the territory of southern Lebanon, and tens of thousands of Israelis had to flee their homes, FAZ added. The Israeli army regularly violates the ceasefire that came into effect in November 2024, often justifying its actions by preventing attacks planned by "Hezbollah", the German newspaper also wrote.
Recently, Israel has taken a tougher approach, with some observers linking this to Trump's threats against Iran, FAZ commented. Lebanese media reports of intensified Israeli airstrikes. In addition, it is alleged that Israel has prepared a list of about 1,200 targets in Lebanon that could be attacked if "Hezbollah" joins the conflict. The Israeli army has prepared a detailed attack plan and has improved its defense systems, the publication says.
The American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" also addresses the issue of external support that Iran could receive in the event of a possible American strike.
Iran has been trying to build close military ties with China and Russia for years, but the Islamic Republic's powerful friends have been hesitant to act in support of the regime, which is facing the most serious threat to its survival in decades, writes the "Wall Street Journal".
Russia and Iran recently held a small joint military exercise in the Gulf of Oman, which the publication describes as "a show of force that pales in comparison to the US military power deployed in the region". Iranian state media reported that China, Russia and Iran will soon hold joint military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to analysts, Iran has tried to rebuild its missile stockpiles, air defenses and other military capabilities with the help of China and Russia after the serious damage it suffered during the 12-day war with Israel and the United States. But Beijing and Moscow have not shown much willingness to provide Tehran with direct military assistance if President Trump does order an attack on Iran, analysts said.
"They will not sacrifice their own interests for the Iranian regime," Danny Sitrinovich, a former Israeli military intelligence officer and senior fellow at the Institute for National Studies in Tel Aviv, told The Wall Street Journal. "They hope that the regime will not be overthrown, but they will definitely not oppose the United States militarily", the Israeli expert added.
The American magazine "Time" raises the question of whether President Trump has the legal grounds to launch a military strike on Iran. "The short answer is no. There is no indication that there are circumstances that would give the president unilateral authority to order military action", David Yanovsky, a representative of the Washington-based non-governmental organization "Project for Government Oversight", said in an interview with the publication. "It is true that presidents have some authority to deploy military forces in their capacity as commanders-in-chief, but it is limited to true extraordinary circumstances", the American expert added. According to him, these are situations like an attack that must be repelled, and the case with Iran is different.
"This is a planned attack on a sovereign state, and that, put simply, is an act of war. The Constitution gives the exclusive right to declare war to Congress, not to the president. This is something that requires a vote and approval from Congress," Janowski explained to "Time" magazine.