Iran officials claim US plans new military strikes or stricter sanctions

Senior Iranian officials believe the US is plotting either additional military strikes or a tighter economic stranglehold designed to force Tehran into retaliatory actions. Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iran's chief negotiator, stated that Washington was weighing military options and that Iran was preparing a response. Mohammadi also rejected a direct meeting request from US Vice President JD Vance and criticized US proposals regarding the Strait of Hormuz as deceptive. Meanwhile, other officials warned that any European complicity in a US blockade would be considered an act of war, and that American bases used to attack Iran would be targeted.