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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — The US military is continuing a significant buildup of air and naval assets in the Middle East ahead of planned talks with Iran in Switzerland n Tuesday.
The second round of talks follows repeated military threats by US President Donald Trump against Iran over the country's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests and the ongoing dispute over its nuclear program.
Trump has said he will be "indirectly" involved in the talks which are due to begin in Geneva later on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the US president added that he believed Iran wanted to make a deal over its nuclear program.
On Monday the foreign ministry in Tehran said it believed that the US position on the nuclear issue had moved toward "a more realistic one".
Iran says Tuesday's meeting, mediated by Oman, will focus on its nuclear program and the potential lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the US. Washington has previously indicated it wants to discuss other issues as well, such as Iran's missile stockpile.
Framing the talks as "very important", Trump suggested Tehran was motivated this time to negotiate.
"I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal," Trump said, adding that Iran learned the consequences of a tough posture in talks last summer when the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
"We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s," Trump said, referring to the stealth bombers that carried out the bombings. "I hope they're going to be more reasonable."
The president's threats have come amid a US military build-up in the Middle East over the past few weeks.
Naval and air assets are being moved into place both to intimidate Tehran and to have options to strike inside the country should negotiations over its nuclear program fail, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
US Air Force assets based in the United Kingdom, including refueling tankers and fighter jets, are being repositioned closer to the Middle East, according to sources familiar with the movements.
The US is also continuing to flow air defense systems to the region, according to a US official, and several US military units deployed in the region that were expected to rotate out in the coming weeks have had their orders extended, said one source familiar with the matter. Dozens of US military cargo planes have transported equipment from the US to Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, according to flight-tracking data.
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On Friday evening, multiple fighter aircraft were also given diplomatic clearance to enter Jordanian airspace, according to open-source air traffic communications. Satellite images show 12 US F-15 attack planes have been positioned at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base since January 25.
More broadly, open-source flight data reveals there have been over 250 US cargo flights into the region.
Trump has been threatening military action against Iran for weeks, beginning last month when he warned Iranian leaders that he was prepared to order an attack if the government did not stop killing protesters. And on Friday, he said he believes regime change “would be the best thing that could happen” in Iran.
The buildup of military assets and emphasis by Trump and senior members of the administration that regime change is preferable has the region on edge and increases the stakes for Tuesday’s talks.
The Geneva talks are expected to be led by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on the US side, with Iran represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, met with Araghchi in Geneva on Monday for what both described as “in-depth technical discussions,” as preparations intensify for the crucial nuclear negotiations Tuesday.
Regional allies including the Arab states in the Gulf are deeply concerned that US military action could destabilize the region. They have lobbied for holding off on military action to give diplomacy more time, according to sources familiar with the talks.
“Everybody is pushing against a strike,” said a diplomat from the region. This person added that Israel is the only regional player that has been urging the US to attack.
Iran, meanwhile, held further military exercises less than 24 hours ahead of the Geneva talks. On Monday, Iran’s official Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that the IRGC had launched a “valiant defense” of three Iranian islands by land, air and sea that are the subject of a longtime border dispute between Iran and the UAE.
According to the report, IRGC drones are positioned at Iran’s southernmost point, ready to confront any aggressors.
Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, warned Sunday that “Trump should know that he would be entering a confrontation that gives harsh lessons, the outcome of which would ensure that he no longer bellows threats around the world,” according to state-run Press TV. — Agencies
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