Iran-US tensions highlights: Amid US warning, Hezbollah chief says any attack on Iran also targets group

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• The US Central Command on Monday confirmed the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the Middle East, while saying it is sailing in the Indian Ocean.

• Meanwhile, leader of Lebanon's Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement, Naim Qassem, said on Monday that his group was concerned about confronting Washington's threat against Iran, according to Reuters. “We are concerned with what is happening and targeted by potential aggression. We are determined to defend ourselves,” Qassem said.

• Amid protests in Iran, which have now lasted for more than a month, a UN expert said that she had received reports of protesters being taken from hospitals and detained by Iranian security forces, calling it a serious breach of the right to medical care under international law.

• Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu issued a sharp warning to Iran, saying any move by Tehran to attack Israel would draw a forceful response, according to Iran International.

• Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly moved into a special underground shelter in Tehran after senior military and security officials assessed a heightened risk of a possible US attack, Iran International reported.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: United States is “open for business” if Iran wishes to contact Washington, a US official said Monday, Reuters news agency reported.

The official said that US would have a conversation as long as Tehran Tehran knows what the terms are. “I think they know the terms,” the official said. “They're aware of the terms,” Reuters quoted them as saying.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A senior Iranian official Monday said he hoped that internet access would be restored for businesses within two days' time, AFP reported.

“We hope that companies' access to the international internet will be restored within the next day or two,” Hossein Rafieian, a senior official on digital economy matters, told Iran's Mehr news agency.

Iranian authorities imposed a blackout amid nationwide protests. Rafieian said the final decision is outside his office's “direct authority”, adding that the “issue is being followed up continuously through consultations with the relevant bodies”, according to AFP.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: The US Central Command on Monday confirmed the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the Middle East, while saying it is sailing in the Indian Ocean.

“The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability,” the Central Command said in a post on X.

A video obtained by Iran International purportedly shows officers shooting at protestors from the top of a police station in Karaj on January 8, the outlet reported.,

HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of the video. The footage posted by Iran International showed officers gathered at the rooftop of the building, with one of them seen firing a weapon.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Amid tensions, Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff are exchanging messages on an “informal” basis, according to the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency.

While both sides are in contact, they do not have “a fixed channel of communication”, Iran’s Ambassador to Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said in comments published by ISNA, Iran International reported. “It can hardly be called a negotiation," Bahreini said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: The leader of Lebanon's Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement, Naim Qassem, said on Monday that his group was concerned about confronting Washington's threat against Iran, Reuters reported.

“We are concerned with what is happening and targeted by potential aggression. We are determined to defend ourselves,” the Hezbollah leader said. He also said that they will choose in due course how to act, whether to intervene or not. "But we are not neutral," Qassem said in a televised address.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A UN expert on Iran said that she had received reports of protesters connected to nationwide demonstrations being taken from hospitals and detained by Iranian security forces, calling it a serious breach of the right to medical care under international law.

Speaking to Reuters in a video interview, UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Mai Sato also said families were being asked to pay ransoms ranging from $5,000 to $7,000 to recover the bodies of relatives, placing an enormous strain on households already grappling with Iran’s worsening economic conditions.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday issued a sharp warning to Iran, saying any move by Tehran to attack Israel would draw a forceful response, Iran International reported.

He made the remarks in a speech to the Knesset announcing the return of the body of the last Israeli hostage from Gaza.

“We remain on guard against every threat from Iran, the head of the octopus that orchestrated these atrocities,” Netanyahu said, adding that any attempt by Iran to harm Israel would be met decisively.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A US aircraft carrier and supporting warships have arrived in the Middle East, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, amid threat of possible US attack on Iran.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers have crossed into the Middle East region, which comes under the US military's Central Command, the officials told Reuters.

Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an "armada" heading toward Iran, but hoped he would not have to use it.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A rights group has said that Iranian state television has aired at least 240 “forced confessions” in recent weeks, a number it described as unprecedented, following the arrest of thousands of people, AFP reported.

In these televised interviews, detainees are shown admitting to a range of alleged offences, from attacking security forces to receiving money from monarchists or Iran’s adversaries.

In some instances, individuals have reportedly been accused simply of following social media accounts linked to opponents of the Islamic Republic.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: The United Arab Emirates on Monday said it would not permit its territory to be used to launch attacks against Iran, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry said in a statement it "has reaffirmed the United Arab Emirates' commitment to not allowing its airspace, territory or waters to be used in any hostile military actions against Iran".

The comments came after US President Donald Trump said last week that an American “armada” was moving toward the Gulf and that Washington was closely monitoring Iran.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Monday said that any attack on the group's backer Tehran, would also target the militants, AFP reported

"Faced with aggression that does not distinguish between us... we are targeted by any potential aggression and determined to defend ourselves," he said in a televised address to supporters at a solidarity rally for Iran.

"We will choose at that time how to act... but we are not neutral," he said, warning that "a war on Iran this time will ignite the region".

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iranian businesses are reeling from an internet blackout, imposed while authorities used massive force to crush large-scale protests.

While Iran's domestic network has gradually allowed limited access to online platforms, it has not restored wider connectivity to the global internet, which many businesses rely on to operate, Reuters reported.

The restrictions have drawn sharp criticism from businessmen and some government officials, including Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi, who said 10 million people were employed in the digital economy.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A third group of Iranians deported from the United States is returning home, Reuters reported, citing Tasnim news agency. This comes amid heightened tension between Washington and Tehran following Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests.

"These people, who have been under pressure to leave (the US) for two months, made their return journey via Cairo and Kuwait," the news agency reportedly said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Two Iranian-backed militias in the Mideast are reportedly signalling their willingness to launch new attacks, in support of Iran, Associated Press reported.

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.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: The United Arab Emirates on Monday said that it would not allow its airspace, territory or territorial waters to be used for any hostile military action against Iran.

“The UAE confirms its commitment to not allowing its airspace, land or waters to be used in any hostile military actions against Iran,” Afra Al Hameli, director of strategic communications at the UAE foreign ministry, said in a post on X.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ali Bahreini, on Monday said that Tehran is prepared for “any scenario,” including the possibility of an attack, amid a rise in tensions with the US.

“The United States is unpredictable, so we are prepared for any scenario, including any possible aggression,” Iran International quoted Bahreini as saying.

Bahreini said informal messages have been exchanged between Iran’s foreign minister and US envoy Steve Witkoff, but said it would be difficult to describe those contacts as negotiations.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly moved into a special underground shelter in Tehran after senior military and security officials assessed a heightened risk of a possible US attack, reported Iran International, citing two sources close to the government.

The facility, described as a heavily fortified complex with interconnected tunnels, is designed to provide maximum protection during wartime contingencies.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, on Monday took to X and urged the EU to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a ‘terrorist organisation.’ He said that civilian losses during protests in Iran require a clear response and said pushed for action at an upcoming EU meeting.

Tanjani added that he would propose including Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on the terrorist list and imposing individual sanctions on those responsible at a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran’s health ministry said nearly 13,000 surgical operations were carried out on people wounded in recent protests, Iran International reported.

“12,986 surgical operations have been carried out for those injured in the recent incidents, but it should be noted that when people suffer trauma in various incidents they may require multiple surgeries,” Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry’s public relations office reportedly said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran’s navy commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, reportedly said the country’s armed forces are at full readiness to defend the country, Iran International reported.

“The armed forces are on full alert to safeguard the country,” Irani said, adding that “the link between spirituality, knowledge and military power is the key to victory and endurance” of Iran’s system.

His statement came amid a threat of the US attacking Iran, with reports of an American aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, arriving near Iran.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: A hardline Iranian newspaper, Kayhan, overseen by a representative of Iran’s supreme leader, cautioned against granting pardons to some protesters following the recent unrest.

Referring to reports of possible leniency for those who were unarmed, the newspaper argued that the violence would not have occurred without broader participation and support, Iran International reported.

It claimed that public figures and celebrities encouraged demonstrations from behind the scenes and deliberately incited young people

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Monday that the Iranian government has prepared a plan to run the country in wartime, Iran International reported. He also added that Tehran does not seek conflict but is ready to defend itself.

“The government has prepared a plan to manage the country in wartime, although we hope it will never need to be implemented,” Aref was quoted as saying.