The Pentagon continues to deploy forces to the Middle East despite negotiations with Tehran, Moscow has said<\/p>\n
The US and Israel could be exploiting talks with Iran to prepare for a ground attack on the country, the Russian Security Council has said.
\nThe first round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which took place in Islamabad, Pakistan at the weekend, did not result in a breakthrough. Iranian officials blamed the failure of the talks on \u201cunrealistic demands\u201d by the Americans, but expressed readiness to continue looking for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. US President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that the next round of discussions could take place at the same venue \u201cover the next two days.\u201d\u00a0
\nIn a statement on Tuesday, the office of the Russian Security Council warned that \u201cthe US and Israel may use peace talks to prepare for a ground operation against Iran.\u201d
\nThis assessment is based on the fact that \u201cthe Pentagon continues to build up the US grouping in the region\u201d even as negotiations are underway, the key body, headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, said.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
The Iranian knot needs to be untangled, not cut \u2013 Lavrov<\/p>\n
The US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 came as Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations over Iran\u2019s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and broader regional security issues. Last June, Israel also bombed the Islamic Republic\u2019s nuclear facilities amid US-Iranian talks, sparking a 12-day conflict with Tehran.
\n\u201cIf the negotiations fail to achieve the intended goals, the hostilities may resume with greater intensity after two weeks,\u201d the statement said.
\nTrump earlier signaled he has no intention of prolonging the two-week ceasefire with Tehran, which is set to expire on April 22. The conflict \u201ccould end either way, but I think a deal is preferable because then they [Iran] can rebuild,\u201d he told ABC News.
\nTehran has said it is seeking a permanent end to the conflict rather than an extension of the truce, with a final agreement that would include guarantees against further attacks, sanctions relief, and ability to continue enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.
\nAccording to the Russian Security Council\u2019s assessment, Iran \u201cstill possesses a significant stockpile of weapons,\u201d with which it could resist further aggressive moves by Washington and West Jerusalem.
\nThe country\u2019s civilian and military leadership remains stable, with the Iranian society unifying around the government in Tehran since the US-Israeli attack a month-and-a-half ago, it added.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: End of Iran war \u2018very close\u2019 \u2013 Trump<\/p>\n
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who headed Tehran\u2019s team at the talks in Islamabad, warned earlier that the Islamic Republic is ready for a possible ground attack by American troops and will \u201crain fire upon them.\u201d Tehran also warned that it would retaliate to a land operation by destroying energy infrastructure in the Gulf states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Pentagon continues to deploy forces to the Middle East despite negotiations with Tehran, Moscow has said The US and Israel could be exploiting talks with Iran to prepare for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t