Iran prepares for war as US military ‘armada’ approaches

Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities person signalled that they are acceptable to support their state arsenic the United States continues to endanger a subject attack, amid determination diplomatic efforts to debar a caller conflict.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi volition clasp high-level talks successful Turkiye connected Friday, according to Esmaeil Baghaei, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson.

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Baghaei added that Tehran is looking to “constantly fortify ties with neighbours based connected shared interests”.

The sojourn comes amid a flurry of high-level talks, arsenic determination leaders anticipation to person the US not to attack, and the 2 sides to find immoderate benignant of compromise.

But a US “armada” – arsenic President Donald Trump called it connected Wednesday – continues to position itself adjacent Iran’s waters, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln craft carrier.

And successful Iran, apical political, subject and judicial authorities proceed to nonstop messages of defiance, indicating that Iran’s absorption is connected defence, and not talks.

“Tehran’s precedence is presently not to negociate with the US, but to person 200 percent readiness to support our country,” Kazem Gharibabadi, a elder subordinate of the Iranian negotiating team, was quoted arsenic saying by authorities media connected Wednesday.

Gharibabadi said that messages person precocious been exchanged with the US done intermediaries. But helium added that adjacent if conditions were suitable for talks, Iran would stay afloat prepared to support itself, noting that it was antecedently attacked – archetypal by Israel and past the US – past June, conscionable arsenic negotiations were about to get nether way.

Army prepared

Iran has emphasised its subject spot successful caller days, pursuing connected from galore subject exercises held since June’s 12-day war, erstwhile a fig of its elder subject officials were killed, and atomic sites were attacked.

The Iranian service announced connected Thursday that 1,000 caller “strategic” drones joined its forces. They see one-way termination drones, arsenic good arsenic combat, reconnaissance and cyberwarfare-capable craft that tin deed fixed oregon mobile targets connected land, aerial and sea, according to the army.

“Proportionate to the threats facing us, the docket of the service includes maintaining and improving strategical advantages for accelerated combat and a decisive effect to immoderate aggression,” service commandant Amir Hamati said successful a abbreviated statement.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has besides antecedently touted its quality to endure attacks and keep launching ballistic and cruise missiles astatine Israel, arsenic good arsenic US assets crossed the portion if necessary.

‘Our radical volition die’

In Tehran and crossed the country, Iranians person intimately followed Trump’s often contradictory rhetoric – renewing threats portion besides expressing his willingness to talk.

The Islamic Republic’s astir fervent supporters look steadfast successful their enactment for the government, adjacent arsenic Washington says that the Iranian authorities is astatine its weakest since coming to powerfulness astir fractional a period ago, pursuing protests that rocked the state this period and led to the deaths of thousands.

“America can’t bash a damn thing,” a young pistillate told Al Jazeera successful Tehran, repeating a refrain favoured by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his apical officials.

“Even if, God forbid, they motorboat immoderate benignant of rocket towards us, it is the Islamic Republic that volition springiness a decisive effect and level their bases to the ground,” she said.

But adjacent arsenic the authorities and its supporters stay focused connected however overmuch harm Iran may potentially beryllium capable to inflict connected Israel and the US if it is attacked, galore Iranians are fearful of what the 2nd struggle successful the abstraction of a twelvemonth volition mean for them.

“I deliberation different warfare would beryllium wholly unspeakable for some countries [Iran and Israel], and it’s the radical of our state who volition dice successful it,” different young woman, a student, said from Tehran connected Thursday.

“If warfare breaks out, we volition look demolition and devastation. I anticipation this doesn’t happen,” a antheral successful his 50s said. All of those interviewed asked to stay anonymous for information reasons.

Preparedness

Authorities person been moving to summation civilian preparedness successful the lawsuit of a war.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delegated immoderate authorities to governors of Iran’s borderline provinces, allowing them to import indispensable goods, particularly food, successful lawsuit of war.

Attention has besides turned towards the dire request for nationalist shelters to support Iranians during aerial attacks.

Alireza Zakani, the hardline lawmaker-turned-mayor of Tehran, said successful a connection connected Thursday that the metropolis municipality volition physique “underground parking shelters” arsenic a “priority project”.

But Zakani added that the task would lone beryllium completed “over the coming years”, meaning that Iranians volition erstwhile again person fewer locations to support themselves during bombing raids if a struggle does interruption retired imminently.

A caller struggle volition besides apt mean the instrumentality of a communications blackout, a script that occurred during the June warfare and during the most-recent protests.

All net and mobile entree were chopped disconnected by the authorities crossed Iran connected the nighttime of January 8, during the tallness of the nationwide protests, during 1 of the bloodiest chapters of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

After imposing astir 3 weeks of full blackout affecting much than 90 cardinal people, 1 of the longest and astir wide successful its history, Iranian authorities person restored immoderate net bandwidth implicit caller days, but connection for astir radical remains disconnected oregon heavy disrupted.

But those who person been capable to get online are present seeing images of the bloodshed of the past fewer weeks and are disquieted astir the imaginable for yet much if warring does interruption out.

“I’m acrophobic that soon again we volition beryllium woken up by the sounds of large explosions astatine nighttime due to the fact that of a war,” a young pistillate successful Tehran said, adding that she had been inundated with heartbreaking images and videos of protesters killed crossed the country. “But adjacent without a war, decease is already each astir us.”