Iran has threatened to strike American bases and 'blow up' the entire Middle East if Donald Trump follows through on his warning of military action in the absence of a new nuclear deal.

President Trump earlier this month sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging Tehran to reach a new nuclear deal. He warned: 'There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal.'

Iran has now sent a response to the letter - which they say was 'appropriately sent through Oman' - rebuffing Trump's warning to make a deal or face consequences.

'If the Americans attack the sanctity of Iran, the entire region will blow up like a spark in an ammunition dump,' Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf said Friday.

'Their bases and those of their allies will not be safe,' Qalibaf said in a live speech at the annual Al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, that marks the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

Khamenei has called Trump's message deceptive and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday talks were impossible unless Washington changed its 'maximum pressure' policy. 

Araqchi on Friday was reported by state media as saying that while Trump's letter contained threats, it also left the door open to diplomacy. He did not elaborate.

The US, however, has seemingly issued its own warning to Iran and its rebel Fast Speed Proxies by deploying at least three B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia island.




Iran has threatened to strike American bases and 'blow up' the entire Middle East if Donald Trump follows through on his warning of military action in the absence of a new nuclear deal. The image shows an Iranian rocket launched during a drill earlier last year 





Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed three B-2s (circled) parked at Camp Thunder Cove on Diego Garcia on Wednesday. America is believed to be bringing additional firepower to the military base





President Donald Trump (pictured yesterday) earlier this month sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging Tehran to reach a new nuclear deal. He warned: 'There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal'

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed three B-2s parked at Camp Thunder Cove on Diego Garcia on Wednesday.

America is believed to be bringing additional firepower to the military base, as radio transmissions and flight-tracking data suggested the US Air Force is moving several aircraft to Diego Garcia.

At least four more jets are reportedly on their way, The Telegraph reports, citing unconfirmed Open Source Intelligence.

Seven C17 aircraft - which are typically used for rapid deployment of troops, cargo and supplies - have also landed at the base in recent days, according to Sky News.

The B-2 Spirit, or B-2 bomber, is a highly advanced, stealth bomber capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons. The plane, designed by the US Air Force, is known for its ability to penetrate enemy defences.

The B-2's design incorporates advanced stealth technology to make it difficult to detect by radar, allowing it to penetrate heavily defended airspace.

Diego Garcia island is a strategic hub, as it puts both Yemen and Iran in range of US planes. It also provides a closer location for the long-range bombers to launch that's still far outside of the range of the rebels - and avoids using allies' Mideast bases.




Iranians burn an Israel flag during a rally marking Al Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, today





Iranians take part in a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran, March 28, 2025

The surge in military assets comes amid reports that suspected US airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital Sanaa.

The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn't immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15.

Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemen's capital that the rebels have held since 2014. 

Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebel's stronghold of Saada and in Yemen's al-Jawf, Amran and Marib governorates.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what at those sites had been targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital also are home to military and intelligence service sites - as well as crowded with civilians.

Video showed one bomb dropping into Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky as many people were awake in the final days of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. 

The Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19 strikes there alone.

The US military's Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes.




In this image made from video, smoke rises after a blast in Sanaa, Yemen today





Smoke rises from the site of an air strike in Sanaa, Yemen on March 28, 2025

Meanwhile, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader has claimed that Tehran has not closed all doors to resolve its disputes with the US and is ready for indirect negotiations with Washington.

'The Islamic Republic has not closed all doors. It is ready for indirect negotiations with the US in order to evaluate the other party, state its own conditions and make the appropriate decision,' Kamal Kharrazi said Thursday, according to Iranian state media.

Foreign Abbas Araghchi told the official IRNA news agency on Thursday that Iran had responded to Trump's letter.

'This official response includes a letter in which our position regarding the current situation and Mr Trump's letter has been fully explained to the other party,' he said.

Araghchi added that the letter was delivered to Oman, which has served as an intermediary in the past in the absence of US-Iranian diplomatic relations.

He did not disclose the nature of the response nor say when it had been sent.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked by reporters on his plane over the Caribbean whether the United States has received the letter, said: 'I'm not going to comment on that yet'.

He said that the US had expected there to be a response and 'obviously at that point, the president will decide what steps if he any he wants to take next'.




Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf (pictured last year) warned today: 'If the Americans attack the sanctity of Iran, the entire region will blow up like a spark in an ammunition dump. Their bases and those of their allies will not be safe' 

Trump, who in 2018 pulled the US out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, now says he is open to diplomatic talks.

The US president revealed at the start of March that he had sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

At the same time, Trump has pushed ahead with his 'maximum pressure' programme of additional sanctions on Tehran and the threat of military action if it refuses to negotiate.

'Our policy remains not to negotiate directly [with Washington] under "maximum pressure" and the threat of military action, but indirect negotiations, such as those that took place in the past, can continue,' Araghchi said.

Iran and the US have not had official diplomatic relations since 1980. However, the two countries have engaged indirectly via the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents US interests in Iran.

Oman has also played the role of mediator in the past, as has Qatar, to a lesser extent. Trump's letter was delivered to Iran by the United Arab Emirates.

Iran agreed to the deal curbing its nuclear programme in 2015 after negotiations with major powers including the United States and China.




Western powers accuse Iran of having an clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian atomic energy programme. Iran denies the accusations. Pictured is Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 21, 2025

Western powers accuse Iran of having an clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian atomic energy programme.

Tehran, denies the charge, insisting that the nuclear programme is solely for civilian energy purposes.

Iran continued to respect the deal for a year after Trump pulled out, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, before rolling back its commitments.

The US decision to withdraw was driven in part by Iran's ballistic missile programme, which was not covered by the deal and which Washington perceived as a threat.


Donald TrumpIran