Iran escalates after IAEA rebuke; US pulls staff amid rising tensions — are war drums beating?

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

Iran has issued orders to open a new uranium enrichment facility, increase the production of enriched materials, and replace first-generation centrifuges with more advanced sixth-generation models. 

This was followed by the launch of Iranian military drills and official statements declaring that Tehran was prepared for any scenario.

Iran also released the first batch of intelligence documents it had obtained, accusing the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of cooperating and coordinating with Tel Aviv.

All of this unfolded within two hours of the IAEA’s announcement that Iran was not complying with its nuclear safeguards commitments—for the first time in nearly 20 years.

That announcement was preceded by a series of escalating security developments across the region. Washington issued an urgent order to withdraw nonessential staff from its embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil. 

Soon after, the U.S. State Department advised Americans against traveling to Iraq.

At the same time, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency urged commercial ships in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Strait of Hormuz to exercise extreme caution due to what it described as “increased tensions within the region.”

As war drums grew louder, Oman confirmed it would host a new round of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations on Sunday. Those talks will be preceded by meetings between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Mossad head David Barnea, and Israeli Minister Ron Dermer.

Iran’s position was made clear by its president, who said: “We do not want war with the world—we seek dialogue with it. But we will not surrender to force, injustice, or tyranny.”