Iran Warns 'No Deal' As Israel Makes Preparations For Strike On Nuclear Sites
By Michael Snyder/End of the American Dream May 23, 2025
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The Iranians are very harshly telling President Trump that he is not going to get what he wants. Over the weekend, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told ABC News that Iran will not be allowed to enrich uranium, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that "we are 100% committed to that red line".
Of course the Iranians were never going to agree to that, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei just made that exceedingly clear. The Iranians apparently believe that Trump was bluffing about taking military action against Iran, and so now we will see if Trump was bluffing or not. Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that Israel "is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities"...
The US has obtained new intelligence suggesting that Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, even as the Trump administration has been pursuing a diplomatic deal with Tehran, multiple US officials familiar with the latest intelligence told CNN.
Such a strike would be a brazen break with President Donald Trump, US officials said. It could also risk tipping off a broader regional conflict in the Middle East -- something the US has sought to avoid since the war in Gaza inflamed tensions beginning in 2023.
Wow.
This is really happening.
Apparently U.S. officials have come to this conclusion based on "intercepted Israeli communications and observations of Israeli military movements"...
The heightened worries stem not only from public and private messaging from senior Israeli officials that it is considering such a move, but also from intercepted Israeli communications and observations of Israeli military movements that could suggest an imminent strike, multiple sources familiar with the intelligence said.
Among the military preparations the US has observed are the movement of air munitions and the completion of an air exercise, two of the sources said.
I don't think that a military strike is imminent but Iran has already issued a warning including saying the US will be held responsible for Israel's actions...
Iran's top diplomat warned Thursday that his country would take "special measures" to defend its nuclear facilities if Israel continues to threaten them, raising the stakes further ahead of a new round of talks with the United States.
The comments by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered no specifics on what Tehran would do, but international inspectors already have seen their access limited to Iran's program. That's even as Tehran enriches uranium to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
"We are likewise of the firm conviction that -- in the event of any attack against the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime -- the government of the United States shall bear legal responsibility, having been complicit therein."
One way or another, Israel is determined to put an end to Iran's nuclear program.
Of course the Trump administration wants to do the exact same thing, but President Trump believes he can do it peacefully.
Perhaps that was never a realistic goal.
The Iranians were never going to agree to stop enriching uranium, and the White House is telling the world that it simply will not accept anything less than that...
The Trump administration is "100% committed" to ensuring that any nuclear agreement struck with Iran ensures Tehran cannot enrich uranium at any level, the White House said Monday, Anadolu reports.
"We are 100% committed to that red line," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "The president's Special Envoy (Steve) Witkoff, Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio, have made that incredibly clear, not just to the American public, but also in those discussions that Special Envoy Witkoff has had directly with the Iranians."
During an interview with ABC News, Witkoff said Sunday that uranium enrichment is "a very clear red line" in any potential agreement.
"We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability," he said. "We've delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we think addresses some of this without disrespecting them."
It certainly appears that we have reached an unresolvable impasse.
Iran's deputy foreign minister is warning that Iran will never agree to stop enriching uranium...
Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States "will lead nowhere" if Washington insists that Tehran drop its uranium enrichment activity to zero, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi on Monday as saying.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff reiterated Washington's stance on Sunday that any new deal between the US and Iran must include an agreement not to enrich uranium, a possible pathway to developing nuclear bombs.
"Our position on enrichment is clear and we have repeatedly stated that it is a national achievement from which we will not back down," Takht-Ravanchi said.
And Ayatollah Ali Khamenei just directed some very harsh remarks at the Trump administration...
After several days of back-and-forth public criticisms and US declarations of a "red line" - Iran's Supreme Leader has finally weighed in definitively on where things stand from Tehran's perspective.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the latest US demands that Iranian enrichment be taken down to zero "excessive and outrageous," according to state media. He further expressed doubts that current nuclear talks with the Trump administration will actually lead anywhere.
"I don't think nuclear talks with the U.S. will bring results. I don't know what will happen," Khamenei said. He further called on Washington to cease making over-the-top demands in nuclear talks. Tehran officials have of late also called the Trump administration's stance "contradictory" - after President Trump attempted overtures, sprinkled with direct threats, in his Iran-related rhetoric while in the Gulf last week.
"The American side in these indirect talks should avoid nonsensical remarks," the country's top religious cleric and highest authority continued. "Saying they will not allow Iran to enrich is a big mistake. No-one waits for their permission."
So this is it.
If Trump wasn't bluffing, there will be war.
And even if Trump was bluffing and decides not to attack Iran, Israel will go in alone.
Sadly, once the missiles start flying there will be no going back.
Originally published at End Of The American Dream
