WASHINGTON, D.C. – The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday over Iran's growing nuclear stockpile. President Trump is drawing a red line with the Islamic Republic, telling the regime not to pursue a nuclear weapon or they'll face military action.
In a letter to Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week, Trump urged negotiations with Washington on a new nuclear deal. Over the weekend, Khamenei rejected the offer, claiming Trump would just be looking to exert dominance and impose new demands.
Only days later, a new message came out of Tehran with the foreign ministry spokesman announcing that negotiations will be considered, as long as talks stick to concerns about the militarization of its nuclear program.
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While Iran's messaging appears unclear, in an interview with Fox News, President Trump says the regime is running out of time.
"The time is happening now, the time is coming up, something is going to happen one way or another," he said.
Former State Department advisor Gabriel Noronha, now with Polaris National Security, says the regime isn't in a position to ignore the offer of diplomacy.
"Their proxies in Iraq are starting to show signs of weakening, Syria is gone. Hezbollah is decimated. Hamas is decimated, and they have the Houthis left as now their strongest proxy. This is not an Iran that is able to carry out the massive destructive threats against the Israel (and) United States that there were when President Trump was in office the first time," Noronha told CBN News.
He says military action could make things tenuous for Iran, because the regime doesn't have much else to lose.
"I think what the regime fears the most is that the regime, without that nuclear safety net, would be on the verge of collapse, and that if Israel and the United States are striking its programs, that the Iranian people would rise up. So they're going to be prepared to do absolutely anything in their power to respond in the event of attack," Noronha said.
According to the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran's enriched uranium is up to 60 percent purity, near weapons grade, and it could have enough for as many as six bombs. The agency now warns that the situation is of "serious concern," and the time for diplomacy has almost passed.
"President Trump, as well as all of his predecessors, have said they will not permit Iran to get a nuclear weapon. Iran is on the threshold, now, really on the threshold of a nuclear weapon, and so the implicit threat is that military force is the alternative, if Iran is not willing to come to the table and resolve this peacefully," said Noronha.
Iran, China, and Russia kicked off an annual joint military exercise Monday in the Gulf of Oman. Despite this growing partnership, Noronha says he doesn't believe China and Russia would provide much support if the U.S. takes military action on Iran.
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