Iran-US tensions highlights: US plans to deport at least 40 Iranians as protests rage on in Tehran

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A day after exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's requests, Iranian protesters decided to hold gatherings and protest marches across several countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, as per a report by Iran International.

Earlier calls from the exiled Crown Prince had led to escalation of the anti-Iranian regime protests in the country.

“In particular President Trump, as the leader of the free world, has closely observed your indescribable bravery and has declared that he is ready to help you. Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side,” Pahlavi had said on his X handle earlier in January.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: US President Donald Trump earlier this week warned that Iran would be wiped "off the face of this earth" if Tehran ever succeeded in assassinating the US leader.

Over fresh tensions with the US, and Trump's above-mentioned remark, Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, representative in India of Iran's Supreme Leader, has said that remarks against his country are not new and it is "ready for everything".

"This statement is not new...We are also ready for everything...," Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi told ANI news agency in an interview.

President Trump on Tuesday warned Iran that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting "blown up," according to a report in The Hill.

"Well, they shouldn't be doing it but I've left notification," Trump told NewsNation, according to the report. "Anything ever happens, we're going to blow the whole -- the whole country's going to get blown up," he said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Global tensions erupting from the Middle East over Iran protests - that settled down briefly - seem to have escalated again this week with Donald Trump's mention of an US carrier group heading towards Iran.

The pace of protests that began spreading from December 28 went down last week, an observation based on the reduction of videos and images of the deadly crackdown on protesters by the clerical Iranian regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran-US tensions | Latest in 5 points

1. Tehran's old foe Trump, who during the Iran protests issued multiple threats of military intervention, has reignited tensions after saying on Thursday that an “armada” is heading towards Iran.
2. He was referring to USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its associated strike group which reportedly is in the Indian Ocean and on its way to the Middle East region.
3. Trump's Thursday remark prompted a response from an unnamed Iranian official, who was quoted as saying by Reuters that any escalation would be settled with an “all-out war”. The exchange of warnings sent airlines on alert, with some avoiding the Middle East airspace amid tensions on Saturday.
4. A commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, in another threat to Trump, said on Saturday the force is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger,” as US warships headed toward the Middle East.
5. The Lincoln is accompanied by three Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers — USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy and the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. — which can carry Tomahawk missiles, Bloomberg reported. The carrier’s air wing includes F-35C fighter jets.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said on Saturday the force is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger,” as US warships headed toward the Middle East.

Iran Revolutionary Guard was key in cracking down on recent nationwide protests in a crackdown that left thousands dead.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” Associated Press quoted commander, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour as saying, citing his statement taken from Nournews's Telegram channel.

Nournews is a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Pakpour warned the United States and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.”

Tension have escalated again between Iran and the US in the wake of a bloody crackdown on protests that began on December 28, triggered by the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial, and swept the country for about two weeks.

Trump's warnings

What triggered fresh tensions is US President Donald Trump's latest remark that an ‘armada’, referring to a strike carrier and associated assets, is on its way towards Iran.

Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran, setting two red lines for the use of military force: the killing of peaceful demonstrators and the mass execution of people arrested in the protests.

Till last week, Iran had not provided any official death toll of the protests. Then on Wednesday, the government said 3,117 people were killed, including 2,427 civilians and security forces. That left another 690 dead that Pourjamshidian identified as “terrorists.”

This differs from figures given by the US.based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which put the death toll on Saturday at 5,137, based on activists inside Iran verifying fatalities against public records and witness statements.

The agency said 4,834 were protesters, 208 were government-affiliated personnel, 54 were children and 41 were civilians not participating in protests.

(via AP)

Iran-US tensions LIVE: The protests in Iran that began on December 28 at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, initially over the collapse of Iran's currency, the rial, spread across the country in January.

Tensions escalated on January 8, with protesters called for by Iran's exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi. Witnesses said that they saw tens of thousands of demonstrators on the streets, Associated Press news agency reported.

“Many witnesses said they had never seen such a large number of protesters on the streets,” AP quoted Bahar Saba of Human Rights Watch.

“Iranian authorities have repeatedly shown they have no answers other than bullets and brutal repression to people taking to the streets.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Experts believe the deployment of US military hardware in the region adds flexibility for Trump.

But mobilising assets in the Middle East does not necessarily guarantee a strike against Iran, according to experts cited in a Bloomberg report.

“The buildup signals the president’s determination to keep all options on the table, including military strikes against the Iranian regime,” Bloomberg quoted Mona Yacoubian, the director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“It certainly could be a prelude to an attack, or it could be meant as a coercive tactic focused on securing concessions from Tehran in advance of or as part of a negotiation,” she said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: US President Donald Trump has sent towards the Middle East an aircraft carrier and its associated strike group, which he referred to as an “armada heading to that side”.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its associated strike group passed through the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia two days ago and are now in the Indian Ocean, Bloomberg reported, citing two US officials, who declined to specify their precise destination.

The officials asked not to be identified discussing ship movements that haven’t been formally announced.

The Lincoln is accompanied by three Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers — USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy and the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. — which can carry Tomahawk missiles. The carrier’s air wing includes F-35C fighter jets.

Those assets are similar to the military vessels that the US deployed to the Caribbean Sea weeks before the US launched a military operation on January 3 to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Given past US attacks on Iran last year and the Venezuela operation, Trump’s bellicose rhetoric is ramping up pressure on Iran and put markets on edge for another round of strikes.

(via Bloomberg)

Iran-US news LIVE: Several European airlines have suspended flights to and over countries in the Middle East amid fresh tensions between the US and Iran after Donald Trump's ‘armada on way’ remark that raise concerns of wider disruption across the Persian Gulf.

Full list of airlines that have suspended flights

-Air France canceled flights between Paris and Dubai on Friday and Saturday, temporarily suspending service to the emirate “due to the current situation in the Middle East,” as per a statement.

-KLM also halted flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv until further notice. It said in a statement that as a precaution, it is currently avoiding airspace over several Gulf countries, as well as Iran, Iraq and Israel.

-Several flights to Dubai operated by Luxembourg flag carrier Luxair, British Airways and Dutch low-cost carrier Transavia were also canceled over the weekend, according to the Dubai International Airport website and data from flight tracking site Flightradar24.

-Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it canceled its Tehran flights till March 28 and will operate routes to and from Tel Aviv and Amman, Jordan during the daytime till the end of the month.

(Via Bloomberg)

Iran-US news LIVE: A US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the death toll on Saturday in Iran protests stood at 5,137, based on activists inside Iran verifying deaths against public records and witness statements.

It said 4,834 were demonstrators, 208 were government-affiliated personnel, 54 were children and 41 were civilians not participating in protests.

Officials estimate the damage of the Iran protests and the govrnment crackdown on protesters to be at least $125 million, according to an Associated Press tally of reports by the state-run IRNA news agency from over 20 cities.

According to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll on Saturday in Iran protests stood at 5,137, based on activists inside Iran verifying fatalities against public records and witness statements.

It said 4,834 were demonstrators, 208 were government-affiliated personnel, 54 were children and 41 were civilians not participating in protests.

Iran-US news LIVE: The US strike group, which President Donald Trump likened to an ‘armada’ earlier this week, is reportedly in the Indian Ocean and heading closer to the Middle East.

“We have a big flotilla going in that direction and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Thursday as he returned from Davos, Switzerland.

“I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” he added.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its associated strike group passed through the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia two days ago and are now in the Indian Ocean, Bloomberg reported, citing two US officials, who declined to specify their precise destination.

The above-mentioned officials asked not to be identified discussing ship movements that haven’t been formally announced.

Iran-US news LIVE: Amid renewed fears of military action between the US and Iran, at least two European airlines reportedly suspended flights to cities in the Middle East on Friday, with Air France saying it will temporarily stop service to Dubai due to the geopolitical situation.

Dutch airline KLM also halted flights until further notice to cities in the Middle East and would not fly through the airspace of several countries in the region, including Iraq and Iran, AFP news agency reported, citing Netherlands' state broadcaster.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a US "armada" was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely. He triggered a warning of an “all-out war” from Iran.

"Due to the current situation in the Middle East, the company has decided to temporarily suspend its service to Dubai," AFP quoted France's national carrier's statement.

The airline added it was "constantly monitoring the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the territories served and overflown by its aircraft" to ensure "the highest level of safety and security" for its flights.

Iran on Saturday said two men linked to the Islamic State (IS) have been executed for role in 2023 bombing of bus carrying pilgrims.

(Via Reuters)

Iran-US news LIVE: The pace of anti-government protests in Iran that stirred international tensions went down earlier this month with no latest reports or videos of unrest leaking out of the country which was under a communication blackout for days.

The protests that began against the falling economy and Iranian currency Rial in December escalated in the first weekend of January following a call by the country’s exiled crown prince - Reza Pahlavi - for mass demonstrations.

The unrest in Iran that got global attention after multiple warnings of intervention issued by US President Donald Trump along with calls for peace from other leader across the world .

The protests in Iran ultimately snowballed into becoming a movement against the clerical regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran-US news LIVE: Responding to Donald Trump's ‘armada’ warning, a senior Iranian official said on Friday Iran will treat any attack "as an all-out war."

"This military buildup - we hope it is not intended for real confrontation - but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran," Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"This time we will treat any attack - limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it - as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this," the official said. Read full report here

Iran-US news LIVE: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an American aircraft carrier group heading toward Iran, something he likened to an “armada” in comments to journalists onboard the Air Force One, but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.

“We're watching Iran… you know we have a lot of ships going that direction just in case… we have a big flotilla going in that direction and we'll see what happens… we have a big force going towards Iran… I'd rather not see anything happening… we have an armada, a massive fleet heading in that direction,” Trump had said, mentioning the “cancelled” executions in between.

US President Donald Trump had earlier this month hinted at halting any American plan to initiate military action against Iran, something he had issued multiple warnings over amid the protests in the Islamic country and the clerical regime's crackdown on protesters.

For Trump, one of the red line for military action was the mass execution of prisoners, the other being the killing of peaceful demonstrators. He had said Iran had halted the execution of over 800 people.

Analysts believe Trump's latest statement that an “armada is heading on that direction” could give him the option to carry out strikes, a move he has not taken so far despite repeated warnings to Tehran.

“While President Trump now appears to have backtracked, likely under pressure from regional leaders and cognizant that airstrikes alone would be insufficient to implode the regime, military assets continue to be moved into the region, indicating kinetic action may still happen,” AP quoted New York-based think tank the Soufan Center's analysis on Friday.

International tensions that briefly subsided over Iran protests reignited after US President Donald Trump on Thursday said an “armada is heading” towards Iran, prompting a warning from the Iranian side of an all-out war if things escalate any further.

The Iranian government's crackdown on protests that started spreading from late December last year have reportedly killed at least 5,000 people, but some groups believe the actual toll could be much more.

The protests that began against the falling economy, became a nationwide anti-government movement and also led to global tensions.