American Marines and Army paratroopers stationed in the Middle East are undergoing preparations for potential chemical or nuclear scenarios as tensions with Iran continue to rise, according to a report published Friday.

As part of those preparations, Marine units are conducting drills focused on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, practicing rapid-response procedures in the event of an attack.

“The CBRN unit can also be scaled up in size, but the conventional Marine forces will have their CBRN gear and be drilling on it, with 15 seconds to get mask and MOPP [ on when someone shouts ‘Gas, gas, gas,’ ” Hackett said, referencing the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear gear and mission-oriented protective posture gear.

Officials and analysts warn that the likelihood of a chemical or nuclear incident could grow if the conflict escalates further or if Iran finds itself under increasing pressure.

Experts say Iran has the technical capability to produce chemical weapons if it chooses to do so.

“Iran has a very well-established chemical and pharmaceutical industry, so if they decide to change to something else it is fairly straightforward to do,” Phillips said. “So, when it comes to the chemical weapons side, I think this is the area of concern.”

There are also concerns that chemical weapons previously located in Syria may have been relocated before the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“They may well still be on bases somewhere, but it’s stronger than hearsay that some of these chemical weapons actually moved eastwards and are now either in Iraq or Iran,” Phillips told The National.

The report adds that U.S. officials must clearly signal that any use of such weapons would trigger a severe response in order to deter Iran from pursuing that path.

“There needs to be a Trump red line, which means something, which would be the most effective way of stopping these weapons being used,” chemical warfare specialist Hamish de Bretton-Gordon told The National.

Bretton-Gordon also warned that Iran’s past experience in warfare could influence its decisions if the conflict reaches a critical point.

“My concern is that if the Iranians run out of road, what do they do then, because this is in their psyche from the Iran-Iraq War,” Bretton-Gordon said.