NEW YORK, February 26. /TASS/. The US administration is concerned that a potential strike on Iran could trigger a large-scale response, resulting in losses among US citizens. American casualties would entail political risks, Politico reported, citing sources.

"If we’re talking about a regime-change scale attack, Iran is very likely to retaliate with everything they’ve got. We have a lot of assets in the region and every one of those is a potential target. <...> And they’re not under the Iron Dome. So there’s a high likelihood of American casualties. And that comes with lots of political risk," one of the newspaper’s sources said.

In addition, Washington fears that prolonged strikes on Iran could drain US weapons stockpiles, leaving the country more vulnerable. Officials believe this could increase the risk of escalation between mainland China and Taiwan, to which the United States supplies arms.

In January, the White House said it was seriously considering the use of force against Iran. Washington expressed hope at the time that Tehran would return to the negotiating table and agree to a "fair and equitable" deal implying a complete renunciation of nuclear weapons. Iranian authorities have repeatedly stated that they have no intention of developing a nuclear bomb.

The Washington Post reported that the United States had increased its military presence near Iran, deploying more than 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East following US-Iran talks in Geneva on February 17. The current US military presence in the region is said to be the largest since the 2003 Iraq operation.

The third round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is scheduled to take place in Geneva on February 26. The Iranian delegation is expected to be headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US delegation will be led by Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.