The Blubber

Iran warned Wednesday that it would target U.S. military bases in the region if hostilities break out, as President Donald Trump admitted he was "less confident" about the prospects of reaching a nuclear agreement.

As tensions continued to escalate, a U.S. official confirmed that staffing at the American embassy in Iraq was being reduced due to security concerns. Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations — a British navy-run agency — advised vessels to navigate the Gulf with caution.

Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of negotiations since April in an effort to forge a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 agreement, which Trump withdrew from during his first term in 2018.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” strategy toward Tehran, expressing support for nuclear diplomacy while cautioning that military action remains an option if talks collapse.

“All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” said Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, responding to U.S. threats of force should the negotiations fail.

“God willing, things won’t reach that point, and the talks will succeed,” he added, though he warned that the U.S. would “suffer more losses” if conflict breaks out.

The United States maintains multiple military installations across the Middle East, including its largest base in Qatar.

The standoff between Tehran and Washington has intensified in recent weeks, particularly over uranium enrichment. Iran insists its enrichment program is a “non-negotiable” right, while the U.S. has labeled it a “red line.”

Trump, who last month expressed optimism while touring Gulf countries — stating the U.S. was “getting close” to securing a deal — offered a more pessimistic outlook in a Wednesday interview, saying he was now “less confident” about stopping Iran from continuing its enrichment efforts.