As diplomatic efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear accord remain deadlocked, Iran is ramping up its military preparations, signaling readiness for a potential confrontation with Israel while deepening strategic ties with China to secure critical missile resources. Five rounds of U.S.-Iran negotiations since mid-March, mediated by Oman, have failed to bridge gaps over Tehran’s uranium enrichment program. Washington insists the program could enable nuclear weapons development, while Iran defends it as a sovereign right.
According to Al-Monitor, the stalemate has spurred Tehran to expand its defensive and offensive capabilities. Recent weeks have seen Iran unveil fortified underground “missile cities”—bunkers designed to withstand airstrikes and house ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Satellite imagery and state media broadcasts depict vast stockpiles, emphasizing readiness for rapid deployment. Parallel to these developments, Iran has turned to Beijing to procure materials essential for missile production. A Wall Street Journal report on June 5 revealed that China agreed to supply Iran with thousands of tons of ammonium perchlorate, a key oxidizer for solid-fuel missiles. The shipment, set to arrive in Iranian ports in the coming months, could fuel up to 800 short-range missiles, with portions earmarked for Tehran’s proxies in Yemen and Iraq.
The procurement follows an April explosion in Bandar Abbas, Iran’s primary trade hub, which local activists linked to mishandled ammonium perchlorate. While Iranian authorities dismissed the blast as an industrial accident, observers speculate the material was destined for missile production or transfer to regional allies. Western intelligence agencies warn that such advancements could enable Tehran to pair nuclear payloads with delivery systems—a prospect Iran denies.
Tensions with Israel have intensified sharply. Last year’s cross-border strikes—including Iranian missile launches targeting Israel and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on IRGC facilities—have left both sides on edge. Recent Israeli rhetoric framing Iran’s nuclear progress as an existential threat has been met with escalating Iranian counter-threats. In a televised address on June 4, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed U.S. demands to halt enrichment, stating, “It’s none of your business,” and accused Washington of enabling Israeli “atrocities” in Gaza. Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh went further, vowing to “destroy” Israel if provoked. At the same time, President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Muslim nations to unite against the “cancerous tumor” of Israel, erroneously citing its population as “merely four million”—a third of its actual size.
The resurgence of eliminationist rhetoric echoes the ideology of Iran’s 1979 revolution, with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s grandson, Hassan Khomeini, invoking his grandfather’s call for Israel’s “eradication” during a June 3 commemoration. Analysts warn that Iran’s military posturing and alliance-building with China reflect a strategy aimed at offsetting diplomatic isolation while deterring adversaries. As Washington weighs military options and Israel threatens unilateral action, the risk of miscalculation looms larger than ever—with regional stability hanging in the balance.
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