Tehran Digs In as War Clouds Gather 

As Israel intensifies its strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets, Tehran is standing firm against mounting international demands to curb its uranium-enrichment program. With President Donald Trump signaling a possible U.S. entry into the conflict within two weeks, diplomatic efforts have stalled, and the window for a peaceful resolution is narrowing.

On Friday, European diplomats pushed for Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment, a longstanding demand now backed more forcefully by the Trump administration. But Iranian officials, according to Arab and European sources, have made clear they will not halt enrichment unless Israel stops its offensive. Iran also refuses to engage directly with the U.S. while Israeli strikes continue.

President Trump, speaking Friday, said that only direct U.S.-Iran talks could end the standoff. “Europe is not going to be able to help in this one,” he noted, pointing to skepticism over Europe's diplomatic leverage. The White House said Trump will decide within two weeks whether to authorize U.S. military action.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, earlier this week presented Iran with a proposal: end enrichment in exchange for access to nuclear fuel from a regional consortium. According to diplomats, Iran countered with a proposal to cap enrichment at 3.67%, the level permitted under the defunct 2015 nuclear deal, a move Washington rejected as insufficient.

In Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s position: diplomacy may be considered only if Israel halts its military campaign. Meanwhile, European leaders hardened their stance. French President Emmanuel Macron called for “zero enrichment” and a renewed focus on curbing Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional proxy funding.

While Europe had previously been willing to tolerate limited enrichment under strict conditions, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and some British officials have now voiced support for a full ban, a clear shift in the transatlantic consensus.

In an unexpected development, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is not providing direct military assistance to Iran is the close ties with Israel, and one reason for this is that “almost two million Russian speakers live [in Israel].”

“Israel is almost a Russian-speaking country,” Putin said during a press conference, adding that Russia maintains “good and friendly relations with the Arab world".

The diplomatic stalemate unfolds against a backdrop of regional volatility. Houthi rebels in Yemen have threatened to attack U.S. vessels in the Red Sea if America enters the conflict. Russia warned of a “very negative” reaction to any attempt to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reportedly moved to a secure Tehran bunker. Meanwhile, Muslim-majority nations are expected to call for a ceasefire at a summit in Istanbul this weekend.

Complicating matters further, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, reported severe damage to Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. The current location of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains unverified due to continued Israeli airstrikes.

As diplomacy falters and military operations escalate, the prospect of regional war, with nuclear stakes, looms ever larger.