Iran's leadership is accelerating military and security preparations amid growing fears that nuclear negotiations with the U.S. could collapse, raising the risk of direct conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
While Tehran continues to pursue a nuclear agreement, officials are simultaneously fortifying nuclear facilities, dispersing military command structures, deploying forces and tightening internal security.
The moves signal that Iran's ruling regime believes its survival could be at stake, according to the Journal.
"Iran is facing its worst military threat since 1988," Farzan Sabet, an analyst at the Geneva Graduate Institute, told the Journal. "Iran is preparing for strikes by putting its security and political leadership on high alert to prevent decapitation and to protect its nuclear facilities."
Axios reported Wednesday that the U.S. may be closer to a military confrontation with Iran than many Americans realize, with a potential weeks-long campaign that could "begin very soon."
According to the report, discussions center on a sustained military operation rather than a one-day strike — potentially involving a joint U.S.-Israeli effort with a broader scope than last June's 12-day war.
The U.S. has positioned two aircraft carriers and additional warships and fighter jets in the region, underscoring rising tensions.
Vice President JD Vance said this week that Iran's concessions in nuclear talks have not met U.S. red lines, which require Tehran to give up the ability to build a nuclear weapon.
Iran's foreign minister has publicly suggested progress in negotiations, but Iranian officials privately fear the divide between Washington and Tehran may be too wide to bridge, according to the Journal.
Ali Larijani, head of Iran's National Security Council, said Tehran does not seek conflict but is ready if necessary.
"We reviewed our weaknesses and addressed them," Larijani said. "If war is imposed on us, we will respond."
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has revived its "mosaic defense" strategy, granting commanders greater autonomy to maintain operations if leadership is targeted, the report said.
Naval units have deployed to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20% of global oil supplies pass.
State media broadcast footage of cruise missiles launched from coastal trucks and boats, as oil tankers sailed nearby. The waterway is under constant surveillance, according to Iranian officials.
A Russian warship has docked at Bandar Abbas ahead of joint exercises near U.S. naval forces, including the USS Abraham Lincoln operating off Oman.
"More dangerous than the American warship is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea," Iran's leader, Ali Khamenei, said.
Satellite imagery also shows Iran hardening nuclear sites, including tunnel complexes at Isfahan and Pickaxe Mountain, reinforcing entrances with concrete and earth to shield against potential airstrikes.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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