On Sunday, April 6, 2025, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the nation’s armed forces to high alert, reacting to escalating threats of military action from the United States and Israel.

This move follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent imposition of a 10% tariff on all imports, effective April 5, with steeper duties looming, and his warnings of strikes if Iran doesn’t negotiate over its nuclear program. Iran has sternly cautioned neighbors—Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, and Bahrain—that any assistance to a U.S. attack, including airspace or territory use, will be deemed an act of war, promising “severe consequences.”

Amid this brinkmanship, Iran signaled openness to indirect nuclear talks via Oman, a long-standing mediator, while firmly rejecting direct negotiations with Washington. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that such indirect channels could test U.S. sincerity, though Khamenei has dismissed Trump’s approach as coercive.

The nuclear standoff intensified after Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, which some see as economic pressure to force talks, a tactic echoing his first-term “maximum pressure” campaign that axed the 2015 nuclear deal.

The regional tension coincides with Trump’s tariffs rattling global markets, potentially exacerbating economic strain on Iran, already hit by sanctions. Analysts warn that a military misstep could ignite a broader conflict, especially with Israel bolstering air defenses, per Al Hadath reports.

As Iran braces for confrontation yet dangles diplomatic bait, the world watches a high-stakes gamble unfold, with economic and military fallout hanging in the balance.