Latest: Iran agrees not to possess "fissile material for nuclear weapons"

Oman Foreign Minister Badr al-Badri said in Washington on the 27th during an interview with CBS that Iran has agreed not to possess “nuclear materials capable of making nuclear bombs.”

Trump: No final decision on military action yet

On February 27th, U.S. President Trump sent the latest signals regarding Iran.

Trump stated that he hopes to reach an agreement with Iran and revealed that the U.S. and Iran will continue to hold more negotiations on Friday (the 27th). He expressed dissatisfaction with Iran’s performance in nuclear negotiations, saying the U.S. plans to hold more talks with Iran “to see what happens.”

When asked whether military force might be used against Iran, he said, “I don’t want to do that, but sometimes you have to,” emphasizing that no “final decision” has been made on strikes and reaffirming that “Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.”

Multiple countries issue security alerts

As tensions continue, many countries have issued security warnings.

The Chinese Embassy in Iran and the Israeli Embassy issued statements, solemnly reminding Chinese citizens to closely monitor security developments. The U.S. State Department updated travel warnings on the 27th for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, maintaining a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” alert, and authorized non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families to evacuate Israel. U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, stated that if Americans need to leave Israel, they should “leave today.”

The UK government on the 27th said that, due to security concerns, it has temporarily withdrawn embassy staff from Iran; the Canadian government on the 26th said that, given the ongoing regional tensions, Canadian citizens should immediately evacuate Iran; Greece, France, Poland, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, and other countries issued alerts on the 27th, advising their citizens to avoid traveling to Iran, Israel, and other Middle Eastern regions; the Netherlands also raised travel warnings to the highest level for parts of the Middle East on the 27th.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Duvdevani said on the 27th that the IDF is closely monitoring the situation in Iran, maintaining high alert and ready to protect the safety of the public.

U.S. double aircraft carrier deployment

Amid diplomatic maneuvers, the U.S. continues to exert military pressure on Iran by increasing troop deployments to the Middle East. On the 27th, the U.S. Navy’s USS Ford aircraft carrier was reported to have arrived in Israel. This means the U.S. has simultaneously deployed the USS Ford and USS Lincoln carriers in the Middle East. Israeli sources said the USS Ford will dock near Haifa in northern Israel. As of the 27th, the U.S. has also deployed nearly 20 refueling aircraft to Israel.

“USS Ford” aircraft carrier (photo)

Analysts believe that although the U.S. and Iran agreed to continue negotiations next week, the buildup of U.S. fighter jets and warships in the Middle East is increasing the risk of war between the two countries.

On the 27th, the Iranian military stated it would respond with “destructive” force to any American aggression. Brigadier General Shakarshi, spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff, said Iran is closely monitoring U.S. and Israeli movements in the region and is fully prepared. Any reckless actions could trigger large-scale conflict and provoke an unprecedentedly strong response.

(Source: China News Service)