Page 3 - Iran

Iran ready to make a deal, says Trump as US weighs military options

The updated menu of options includes scenarios that would place American forces directly on Iranian soil, such as targeted raids against key facilities

Oil holds near six-month high as investors track US-Iran tensions

Oil prices steadied near six-month highs as investors tracked US-Iran tensions, sanctions risks and a stronger dollar after a sharp monthly rally

Iran agrees for 'fair' talks with US but not over its defence capabilities

Iran signals readiness for US talks but rules out negotiations on missile and defence capabilities, as regional powers push to avert military conflict

EU lists Iran's Revolutionary Guard as terrorist group, sanctions follow

European Union ministers approved adding Iran's Revolutionary Guard to the terror list and announced sanctions; Iran hit back, calling the move a 'major strategic mistake'

Massive armada heading to Iran, says Trump; urges Tehran to 'make a deal'

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said a "massive armada" was heading towards Iran, led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln

IndiGo extends flight cancellations to Tbilisi, Almaty, Baku, Tashkent

IndiGo has extended cancellations of flights to Tbilisi, Almaty, Baku and Tashkent until February 11 due to rising tensions in Iran and safety concerns over the airspace

At least 6,126 killed in Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests: Activists

Activists said Tuesday that at least 6,126 people were killed in Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests and many more are still feared dead. The new figures came from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in multiple rounds of unrest in Iran. The group verifies each death with a network of activists on the ground in Iran. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll given authorities cutting off the internet and disrupting calls into the Islamic Republic. Iran's government has put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labelled the rest "terrorists." In the past, Iran's theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

US aircraft carrier arrives in West Asia as tensions with Iran remain high

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying warships have arrived in the Middle East, bringing a renewed potential that President Donald Trump could opt to order airstrikes on Iran over its crackdown on protesters. The carrier, along with three destroyers, "is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability," US Central Command said Monday on social media. The strike group was in the Indian Ocean, Central Command said, and not in the Arabian Sea, which borders Iran. It will bring thousands of additional service members to the region, which has not had a US aircraft carrier since the USS Gerald R Ford was ordered in October to sail to the Caribbean as part of a pressure campaign on then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Trump told reporters last week that the ships were sent to the region "just in case". "We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won't have to use it," he said. Trump earlier had threatened

UAE will not allow use of its airspace or territory for attacks on Iran

The statement comes amid an expanding US military presence near Iran, including the recent deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln to West Asian waters

Iraq, Yemen militias hint at attacks as Iran-US tensions escalate

Two Iranian-backed militias in the Mideast are signalling their willingness to launch new attacks, likely trying to back Iran on Monday as it worried about an approaching US aircraft carrier after President Donald Trump threatened military action over its crackdown on nationwide protests. Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels signalled a willingness to resume attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. That came just after Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah paramilitary group, long supported by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, issued a direct threat late Sunday toward any attack targeting Iran, warning a "total war" in the region would be a result. However, both the Houthis and Kataib Hezbollah sat out from Israel's 12-day war on Iran in June that saw the United States bomb Iranian nuclear sites. The hesitancy to get involved shows the disarray still affecting Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance" after facing attacks from Israel during its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Threats from Iraq

Iran's protests, bloody crackdown in focus amid internet blackout

The bloodiest crackdown on dissent since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution is slowly coming into focus, despite authorities cutting off the Islamic Republic from the internet and much of the wider world. Cities and towns smell of smoke as fire-damaged mosques and government offices line streets. Banks have been torched, their ATMs smashed. Officials estimate the damage to be at least USD 125 million, according to an Associated Press tally of reports by the state-run IRNA news agency from over 20 cities. The number of dead demonstrators reported by activists continues to swell. Activists warn it shows Iran engaging in the same tactics it has used for decades, but at an unprecedented scale - firing from rooftops on demonstrators, shooting birdshot into crowds and sending motorcycle-riding paramilitary Revolutionary Guard volunteers in to beat and detain those who can't escape. "The vast majority of protesters were peaceful. The video footage shows crowds of people - including children an

Massive armada moving towards Iran, says Trump amid deadly protests

Death toll in protest crackdown tops 5,000

Over 5,000 killed in Iran's protest crackdown as US moves warships closer

The death toll from Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests reached at least 5,002 people killed Friday, activists said, warning many more still were feared dead as the most-comprehensive internet blackout in the country's history crossed the two-week mark. The challenge in getting information out of Iran persists due to authorities cutting off access to the world through the internet on Jan. 8, even as tensions rise between the United States and Iran as an American aircraft carrier group moves closer to the Middle East - a force US President Donald Trump likened to an "armada" in comments to journalists late Thursday. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency offered the death toll, saying 4,716 were demonstrators, 203 were government-affiliated, 43 were children and 40 were civilians not taking part in the protests. It added that more than 26,800 people had been detained in a widening arrest campaign by authorities. The agency's figures have been accurate in previous

'Massive fleet heading towards Iran': Trump renews warning to Tehran

US President Donald Trump said American warships are moving towards Iran as tensions rise over protests and nuclear concerns, adding the US is ready to act if Tehran escalates

Iran issues 1st official death toll from protests, saying 3,117 were killed

Iranian state TV has issued the first official death toll from recent protests, saying 3,117 people were killed in the demonstrations that began December 28. The figure is lower than the 4,560 people activists say died. State television on Wednesday night carried a statement by the Martyrs Foundation providing the toll. It said that of those killed, 2,427 were civilians and security forces. It did not elaborate on the rest. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Wednesday put the death toll at 4,560. The agency has been accurate throughout the years on demonstrations and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll.

'Attack of unprecedented force': Netanyahu's warning to Iran amid protests

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Iran of a strong response if attacked, as protests and US military moves from Tehran and Washington raise regional tensions

Attack on Khamenei means full-scale war: Iran warns US after Trump remarks

Iran said that any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would mean war, after Donald Trump called for an end to his nearly 40-year rule

Iran protests: US-based activist agency says it has verified 3,919 deaths

A US-based activist agency said Sunday it has verified at least 3,919 deaths during a wave of protests that swept Iran and led to a bloody crackdown, and fears the number could be significantly higher. The Human Rights Activists News Agency posted the revised figure, up from the previous toll of 3,308. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution. The agency has been accurate throughout the years of demonstrations in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm the toll. Iranian officials have not given a clear death toll, although on Saturday, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the protests had left several thousand people dead and blamed the United States for the deaths. It was the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualt

Iran-US tensions: 'Diplomacy only path forward,' says ex-nuclear negotiator

He, however, ruled out the possibility of US strikes in view of improving situations in Iran and added that Washington's plan to collapse Iran through organising unrest" has resulted in disappointment

Khamenei calls Trump 'criminal' as Iran protest death toll crosses 3,000

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday branded US President Donald Trump a criminal for supporting protesters in Iran, and blamed demonstrators for causing thousands of deaths. In a speech broadcast by state television, Khamenei said the protests had left several thousand people dead the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualties from the wave of protests that began December 28 and led to a bloody crackdown. In this revolt, the US president made remarks in person, encouraged seditious people to go ahead and said: 'We do support you, we do support you militarily'," said Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters. He reiterated an accusation that the US seeks domination over Iran's economic and political resources. We do consider the US president a criminal, because of casualties and damages, because of accusations against the Iranian nation, he said. He described the protesters as foot soldiers of the United States and said they