US sends more warships as latest Iran peace push hits uranium roadblock — is war next?

Dubai: The United States is deploying additional naval forces and thousands of military personnel to the Middle East as fresh diplomatic efforts to avert another confrontation with Iran run into a deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious group are being deployed to the region, expanding Washington’s military options as President Donald Trump considers whether to resume strikes against Iran.

The deployments, reported by the Financial Times and US Naval Institute, involve roughly 9,000 sailors and Marines. The Roosevelt departed San Diego on September 27 and is expected to relieve an aircraft carrier already operating in the region.

The movements do not establish that a new attack has been ordered. But they come as Iran refuses to surrender enriched uranium and insists that Washington meet its conditions before negotiations resume.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei delivered a firm message to visiting Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Tuesday.

“Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran,” Rezaei said, according to state television, as quoted by AFP.

He described the uranium as a national asset and said negotiations could not resume until the United States took steps to rebuild trust.

President Masoud Pezeshkian also rejected talks under military threats, demanding sanctions relief before negotiations.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Washington must fulfil Iran’s seven conditions, which include ending the US blockade of Iranian ports, releasing frozen assets and halting regional hostilities.

Iran has previously indicated it might consider diluting uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity within its borders, but has refused to transfer the material abroad.

Washington maintains that any agreement must prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking an atomic bomb.

The Roosevelt deployment comes as the US military seeks to sustain a substantial naval presence around the Middle East.

According to USNI News, the carrier is expected to replace the Japan-based USS George Washington, which has been operating in the region.

The accompanying Makin Island amphibious group brings additional Marines and military capabilities.

The deployments provide Washington with greater operational flexibility, including the ability to conduct air operations, protect shipping and respond to regional threats.

However, a carrier rotation is not, by itself, evidence of an imminent military offensive.

The distinction matters as tensions rise ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

Trump has previously raised the possibility of renewed strikes if diplomatic efforts fail, while the United States continues to maintain military pressure on Iran.

The latest peace initiative has also triggered an unusual debate inside Iran, where some hardliners are questioning whether diplomatic mediation benefits Washington more than Tehran.

Munir’s visit followed talks in Tehran by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

While Iranian officials welcomed diplomatic engagement, conservative commentators argued that the missions had produced little progress.

Commentator Ali Gholhaki suggested that Lavrov and Munir had returned empty-handed after Tehran rejected proposals involving the transfer of enriched uranium.

Other Iranian media questioned whether mediation announcements were reducing pressure on Washington by encouraging hopes of a settlement whenever oil prices rose.

The concerns reflect a broader argument among hardliners that diplomatic activity could weaken Iran’s bargaining position without delivering sanctions relief or security guarantees.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, however, defended keeping diplomatic channels open, saying efforts to prevent escalation should continue.

Pakistan has played a central role in efforts to end the conflict since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.

Islamabad helped broker an April ceasefire, followed by a memorandum of understanding in June intended to provide a framework for a permanent settlement.

That process subsequently broke down.

Qatar and Oman have also maintained diplomatic channels, but repeated initiatives have failed to resolve disagreements over uranium enrichment, sanctions and regional security.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington welcomed mediation but stressed that Trump would determine which terms were acceptable.

The diplomatic impasse is already affecting regional markets.

Reuters reported that most Gulf stock markets retreated on Wednesday as hopes of progress faded.

Oil prices have also remained sensitive to threats against shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.

The danger extends beyond oil. An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander recently warned that Tehran could target undersea internet cables in the strait if its infrastructure were attacked.

Such threats highlight the potential consequences of renewed fighting for Gulf economies, shipping and communications networks.

The immediate challenge for mediators is to bridge two positions that remain far apart.

Iran wants sanctions relief, an end to military threats and recognition of its right to enrich uranium. Washington demands guarantees that Tehran cannot develop nuclear weapons.

The arrival of additional American naval forces will increase military options available to Trump, but diplomacy has not been abandoned.

For the Gulf, the question is whether the growing military pressure will help produce a compromise — or leave the region facing another round of fighting.