Iran is raising the stakes. On Wednesday, Tehran warned that if the U.S. attacks again, the war could spill far beyond the Middle East. The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) posted a statement from the IRGC on X, addressed to the "enemies of Iran":
"If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the war will be extended outside the Middle East region and our crushing blows will hit you in places you cannot #imagine."
The warning comes after President Donald Trump revealed earlier this week that he was close to launching a new bombing campaign against Iran but pulled back at the last minute to give diplomacy a chance. "I was an hour away from making the decision to go today," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Senate is trying to put the brakes on Trump's military options. Lawmakers advanced a war powers resolution that would require congressional approval to continue the conflict, a direct response to Trump's near-strike revelation.
During a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance struck a cautiously optimistic tone on the Iran peace talks. "We're in a pretty good spot here," he said. Vance emphasized that Trump is pursuing a diplomatic deal with Iran in "good faith" but remains "locked and loaded" to restart the military campaign if nuclear talks collapse. Still, he made clear that diplomacy won't compromise Trump's demand that Tehran never acquire a nuclear weapon.
