Israel / Middle East

Iran Holds Military Drills Ahead of Trump’s State of the Union Address

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held military drills on Tuesday, reportedly including tests for new weapons, even as top military official Ali Larijani was preparing to deliver Iran’s latest response in negotiations with the United States, and President Donald Trump was preparing to deliver his State of the Union (SOTU) address.

HORMOZGAN, IRAN - FEBRUARY 19: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - 'IRANIAN ARMY

U.S. Surges Largest Mideast Airpower Since ’03 as Iran Strike Could Come ‘Within Days’ — Israel on Highest Alert

The United States has assembled the largest concentration of airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion — deploying two aircraft carriers, advanced stealth fighters, refueling tankers, and layered missile defenses into theater — as multiple U.S. and Israeli reports warn President Donald Trump could authorize strikes on Iran “as soon as Saturday,” with talks described by American officials as “very far apart” and even a “near nothing-burger.”

The U.S. Navy’s Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R

IRGC General: U.S. ‘Finished’ — Even Deploying Entire Carrier Fleet Against Iran ‘Can’t Do a Damn Thing’

A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general declared the United States is “finished” and claimed that even deploying America’s entire aircraft carrier fleet against Iran “won’t be able to do a damn thing” as U.S. and Iranian officials concluded a second round of nuclear talks in Geneva Tuesday under the shadow of an expanding American military buildup across the Middle East.

TEHRAN, IRAN - FEBRUARY 17: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â" MANDATORY CREDIT - 'IRANIAN PRESID

Trump: Iran Wants to ‘Make a Deal’ — Regime Does Not Want ‘Consequences’

President Donald Trump said Monday he will be “indirectly” involved in Tuesday’s high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, expressing confidence Tehran wants “to make a deal” while warning that he does not believe the regime wants “the consequences of not making a deal” as U.S. military forces continue building pressure across the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White Ho