EXCLUSIVE: How Rogue Iran's Nukes Could Spark World War 3 – As Shaky Stand-Off With U.S. Is Reaching 'Breaking Point'

Decades of tension between the U.S. and Iran threaten to explode into open conflict over the rogue state's maniacal quest to obtain a nuclear weapon, said military experts who fear the clash could spiral into a cataclysmic World War III.

Intelligence sources warned Iran already has all the necessary components – including critically enriched uranium as well as a deadly new Shahab missile system to deploy a nuclear weapon, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Pugnacious President Donald Trump has already issued a stark ultimatum to Iran's ruthless supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a letter demanding his emissaries return to the negotiating table within two months or face the full brunt of American military might.

The intractable Khamenei responded by promising "a strong reciprocal blow" against American forces if Trump follows through on the threat.

As the rhetoric sizzles, intelligence sources report a massive U.S. military build-up in the region around Iran, with Trump dispatching two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Red Sea along with additional B-2 stealth bombers, cargo planes, fighter jets and aerial refueling tankers.

The alarming show of American might comes as the U.S. launched at least 40 crippling air raids on Iran-backed Houthi rebels throughout neighboring Yemen on March 15, targeting the proxy group's military headquarters, weapon storage depots and the detection equipment it uses to track ships.

One day after the attacks, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz declared "all options are on the table" as far as confronting Iran's atomic ambitions, adding, "We cannot have a world with the ayatollahs with their finger on the nuclear button."

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely told RadarOnline.com the situation couldn't be more dire.

"My intelligence sources tell me that Iran already has a nuclear weapon deployed and ready for launch," he said. "Time has finally run out after years of inaction by previous administrations or weak attempts to confront Iran's increasingly bold provocations throughout the Middle East."

As the world knows, during Trump's first term, the saber-rattling commander in chief pulled out of the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which traded sanctions relief for an Iranian vow to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

President Joe Biden's administration failed to resuscitate negotiations, and Iran has continued its efforts to enrich uranium to nuclear weapons grade. Meanwhile, the terrorist-sponsoring state has continued to wreak havoc in the Middle East by providing support to organizations such as ISIS in Syria, Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.

Trump, who once seemed open to negotiations, has now struck an iron-fisted stance. Just days after taking office for the second time, he reimposed the "max-pressure" sanctions campaign, largely cutting off oil-rich Iran from global energy markets.

A Pentagon source chillingly warns that a confrontation between the U.S. and Iran – which has over 610,000 active-duty troops, along with another 350,000 in reserve – could quickly spiral out of control as Iranian allies Russia, China and North Korea get involved on one side while the U.S., with its NATO allies and Israel, square off against them.

"You're talking about the potential start of wider and catastrophic conflict," our source said.

They added: "Things could get out of hand very quickly if the Iranians don't back down and Trump decides to take the military route.

"The situation stands on a knife's edge right now, and there seems to be a scarcity of ways to peacefully defuse it."