News: US-Iran Nuclear Crisis Escalates as Trump Considers Military Strikes and Tehran Prepares Counterproposal
The US-Iran nuclear confrontation has escalated sharply in the four days since indirect talks concluded in Geneva on February 17, with President Donald Trump publicly acknowledging he is "considering" limited military strikes against Iran while Tehran races to prepare a diplomatic counterproposal. The dual-track posture — simultaneous talk of war and deal-making — has left markets, allies, and adversaries alike attempting to gauge whether the world's most dangerous geopolitical standoff is heading toward resolution or conflagration. Trump on Thursday gave Iran a 10-to-15-day ultimatum to reach a nuclear agreement or face "really bad things," and on Friday told reporters at the White House that he was indeed considering a limited strike to pressure Tehran into concessions. Two US officials told Reuters that military planning has reached an advanced stage, with options including targeting specific individuals and even pursuing leadership change. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by saying a draft counterproposal would be ready "in the next two or three days," while insisting that "there is no military solution for Iran's nuclear programme." The crisis unfolds against a backdrop of the largest US military buildup in the Middle East since Operation Midnight Hammer last June, with two aircraft carrier strike groups converging on the region, oil prices surging more than 5% in a single week, and fresh protest violence erupting at Iranian universities as campuses reopen. NATO member states have begun ordering their citizens to evacuate Iran, with one warning that "the possibility of a conflict is very real."