US, Iran exchange threats of broadscale war in latest sabre rattling

In January 2026, tensions escalated between the US and Iran, with both sides exchanging threats of broadscale war. This followed President Trump's renewed warnings against Iran, prompting Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi to declare that Iran would retaliate with full force if attacked. Araghchi's statement, published in The Wall Street Journal, referenced a prior conflict with Israel and warned of a wider regional and global impact from a full-scale confrontation. Iran had recently closed its airspace, and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was tracked moving towards the Indian Ocean, potentially heading to the Middle East. Diplomats from Middle Eastern countries reportedly lobbied Trump against attacking Iran.