As Israel targets Iran’s nuclear facilities and Iran retaliates with rocket attacks, the world edges closer to a potential global conflict. With fears mounting that World War III could be on the horizon, the stakes have never been higher.
Amid this turmoil, former President Donald Trump has weighed in, with reports from ABC News suggesting the U.S. may be preparing its own strikes against Iran. Russia — a staunch ally of Tehran — has issued stern warnings that any American intervention risks “radically destabilizing the entire situation.”
Trump remains deliberately ambiguous about his next move. “I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he told reporters. The Wall Street Journal revealed that Trump has already approved strike plans but is holding back to see if Iran will abandon its nuclear ambitions.
“I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due,” Trump explained, fueling uncertainty.
Sources say the former president has warmed to targeting Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment site — a strategic move aimed at crippling Tehran’s nuclear capability.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov cautioned the U.S. via Interfax, urging it to avoid direct involvement. He stressed the conflict has already cost hundreds of Iranian lives and dozens of Israeli casualties.
Ryabkov’s warnings came in response to Trump’s demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and contemplation of strikes on its nuclear infrastructure.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fired back, declaring any U.S. military action “costly” and affirming: “The Iranian nation will not surrender.”
Russian spokesperson Maria Zakharova expressed frustration to Reuters, questioning the world’s silence as “nuclear facilities are being struck.” She issued a chilling two-word warning: the world is mere “millimeters away” from a “nuclear catastrophe.”
Meanwhile, Moscow has offered to mediate the escalating crisis — an offer Trump rejected, telling Putin, “Do me a favor. Mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first.”
Putin responded that Russia has proposed solutions to all parties involved: “We are not imposing anything; we are simply discussing a possible way out. The decision ultimately rests with the political leadership of all involved countries, primarily Iran and Israel.”
Despite alarmist headlines warning of World War III, experts remain skeptical that Russia will engage militarily. Though Iran and Russia forged a strategic partnership earlier this year, analysts note the pact lacks a mutual defense clause.
Middle East analyst Marianna Belenkaya points out that Russia is deeply preoccupied with Ukraine and is “trying to restore or improve relations with Washington.”
The international community is reacting: Russia, China, and Pakistan have urged the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session. Meanwhile, France, Germany, and the UK are meeting with Iran in Geneva this week to discuss nuclear issues, with the U.S. notably absent.
Israel has intensified its military campaign, striking Iranian missile sites and nuclear infrastructure, while both Israel and the U.S. remain suspicious of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Though U.S. intelligence previously concluded Iran lacked an active nuclear weapons program, Trump dismissed these findings.
Iran maintains it has no desire for nuclear arms, stating: “We have never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons.” Tehran also accuses the region’s “only nuclear-armed regime” of ongoing aggression — underscoring the volatile dynamics at play.
