US President Donald Trump addresses the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2025 (local time). [UPI]
US President Donald Trump addresses the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2025 (local time). [UPI]

Tensions in the Middle East are rising after US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of a large-scale military strike against Iran. With Iran warning of retaliation against US military bases in the region, the UN General Assembly — which both leaders are set to attend — has emerged as a potential turning point.

Trump told Fox News in a phone interview that "it's a question of when we blow up the whole country" and that Iran "better behave."

Trump said he was in the process of making a decision on Iran and that "something very big" would happen "in the not-too-distant future." He also floated alternatives to military action, including strangling Iran economically or reaching a deal.

Iran responded with sharp rhetoric. The country's General Staff of the Armed Forces, which oversees all military branches, said in a statement that "the United States has again decided to resume action against Iran" and warned regional countries not to side with Washington.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps went further, warning that all US military bases in the Middle East would be targeted for retaliation if the United States launched an attack. Iran also said the scope of any retaliation could extend to US naval forces in the Indian Ocean.

The US Department of State issued a new security alert for American citizens in the Middle East, cautioning that "there is a possibility of unpredictable escalation."

Analysts say the situation could replay the cycle of repeated strikes that has unfolded since the war began on Feb. 28 last year.

Iran, however, has left the door open to a diplomatic resolution. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera that Tehran had conveyed several conditions to Washington through an intermediary, with the aim of resuming negotiations toward ending the war. The conditions include a ceasefire on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian funds and the lifting of a maritime blockade.

The move signals that Iran intends to revive the end-of-war MOU the two countries signed last June, which has since become largely ineffective.

Against this backdrop, the 81st UN General Assembly, opening in New York on Tuesday, is drawing close attention. Both Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are expected to attend.

Trump has left open the possibility of a meeting with Pezeshkian. Iran has historically engaged with the United States mainly through intermediaries and is understood to remain cautious about direct negotiations this time as well.


chami@heraldcorp.com