An Iranian military spokesman warned that any conflict would spread across the entire region, targeting all US bases from the "occupied territories" to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman
The Middle East stands on the brink of a dangerous escalation as Iran has delivered a military ultimatum to the US, presenting the choice of "compromise or war." Tehran has declared that 1,000 drones remain on standby, having "locked onto" American bases. Addressing US President Donald Trump, Iran's military leadership asserts that every American base in the region is now an "easy target," while an army of 1,000 drones and upgraded weapon systems has been placed in a state of full operational readiness.
The Iranian military ultimatum
Just hours before Friday’s (February 6, 2026) talks in Oman, the Iranian military launched a warning toward the United States, stating that American bases in the region are vulnerable and within its operational range. Military spokesman Amir Akraminia declared that US President Donald Trump "must choose between compromise or war."
Akraminia emphasized that the armed forces are prepared for any scenario the enemy might choose, including war. He noted that, alongside 1,000 new drones, air defense systems have been upgraded and put into operational service. He warned that any war would spread across the entire region, targeting all US bases, from the "occupied territories" to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
"Our access to American bases is easy, and this increases their vulnerability… This is our message and we have stated it repeatedly. Once again, we declare decisively that we are in full readiness to defend the country," he pointedly underlined.
Friday’s talks (February 6, 2026)
The atmosphere between the US and Iran remains particularly tense just hours before the two sides meet on Friday (February 6, 2026) in Oman. It is noted that this follows intense behind-the-scenes activity and intervention by Middle Eastern leaders urging the Trump administration to carry out threats regarding the cancellation of the meeting.
The deadlock had caused concern throughout the Middle East that Trump would turn to military action. At least nine countries in the region contacted the White House at a high level, strongly urging the US not to cancel the meeting.
"They asked us to keep the meeting and hear what the Iranians have to say. We told the Arabs that we would hold the meeting if they insisted. But we are very skeptical," a US official said.
A second US official said the Trump administration agreed to hold the meeting "to show respect" to US allies in the region and "to continue the diplomatic path."
Background to the crisis
The US and Iran had originally agreed to meet Friday in Istanbul, with other Middle Eastern countries participating as observers. However, the Iranians stated on Tuesday that they wanted to move the talks to Oman and conduct them in a bilateral framework to focus solely on nuclear issues rather than other matters like missiles, which are priorities for the US and regional countries.
US officials were initially open to the request for a change of location, then rejected it, before changing their minds again after Axios reported that the meeting had been cancelled. In more detail, US officials stated that the US and Iran had initially agreed to conduct talks in Istanbul on two levels:
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Direct US-Iran talks for an agreement on nuclear issues.
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Multilateral talks on issues such as Iran's missile program, support for paramilitary groups, and human rights violations during the crackdown on protesters. Currently, only bilateral talks on the nuclear issue are scheduled in Oman.
The meeting in Israel
On Tuesday (February 3, 2026), White House special envoy Steve Witkoff met in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a group of senior Israeli defense officials to coordinate positions before the talks with Iran. Israeli officials say that Witkoff was briefed on the latest Israeli intelligence on Iran and that Netanyahu emphasized that Iran cannot be trusted.
What follows...
Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, are expected to travel to Qatar on Thursday (February 5, 2026) for talks with the Prime Minister regarding Iran. From there, they will travel to Oman to meet with the Iranians.
US officials stated that, considering Iran's behavior in recent days and the lack of progress in previous talks, they remain skeptical about the possibility of an agreement. "We are not naive about the Iranians. If there is a real discussion to be had, we will have it, but we are not going to waste our time," the second US official stated.
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