Iran-US tensions highlights: Will be very bad day for Tehran if deal not made, says Trump

Oil fluctuated near its strongest close since July, with US-Iran talks set to resume this week against a backdrop of massed American forces in the Middle East.

West Texas Intermediate was little changed to settle near $66 a barrel, after jumping almost 6% last week as US President Donald Trump said he was considering a military strike on Iran, Bloomberg reported.

US President Donald Trump on Monday insisted that a strike on Iran could be "easily won" but said that he preferred a diplomatic deal over conflict.

“Everything that has been written about a potential War with Iran has been written incorrectly, and purposefully so,” Trump said in a social media post. “I am the one that makes the decision, I would rather have a Deal than not but, if we don’t make a Deal, it will be a very bad day for that Country and, very sadly, its people.”

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iran over the finalising of the India-Iran deals. He warned that if Iran failed to make a deal, then it would be a "very bad day" for the country.

"Everything that has been written about a potential War with Iran has been written incorrectly, and purposefully so. I am the one that makes the decision, I would rather have a Deal than not but, if we don’t make a Deal, it will be a very bad day for that Country and, very sadly, its people, because they are great and wonderful, and something like this should never have happened to them," he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

US President Donald Trump dismissed reports of the top US military officer, General Daniel Caine, warning of risks against a strike on Iran.

Trump said Caine had not spoken anything against US' plan to strike Iran, adding that the only thing the General knows is how to win.

Several media reports on Monday said that a top US military officer, General Dan Caine, has warned of various risks associated with strikes against Iran that are being considered by President Donald Trump.

Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, had reportedly expressed concern at the White House and Pentagon that munition shortages and a lack of allied support could increase danger to US personnel.

Students held anti-government protests at universities across Tehran, Iran, on Monday, The Associated Press reported, citing witnesses and videos that surfaced online.

The protests began over the weekend.

The Pentagon is building up the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades as President Donald Trump warns of an imminent military strike on Iran if talks over its nuclear programme fail to reap some fruit.

“It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal," Trump said last week. "Otherwise bad things happen."

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers have been in the Arabian Sea since the end of January after being redirected from the South China Sea.

Two weeks later, Trump ordered the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, along with three destroyers and more than 5,000 additional service members to head to the region.

Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with an Iranian delegation for talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday, said a senior US official on Monday, amid escalating fears of a wider conflict and continued military building in the region.

The United States has ordered non-essential diplomats and their family members at the US Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, the State Department said on Monday, as tensions with Iran continue to escalate with the threat of a military strike.

The department said in an updated travel alert for U.S. citizens in Lebanon that it “ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel due to the security situation in Beirut.”

Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned of a wider escalation if his country was attacked.

"We call upon all nations committed to peace and justice to take meaningful steps to prevent further escalation," Gharibabadi said at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

"The consequences of any renewed aggression wouldn't remain confined to one country -- and responsibility would rest with those who initiate or support such actions," he added.

His warning came after US President Donald Trump raised the threat of strikes on Iran.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, on Monday called for countries to maintain peace and justice amid tensions with the US.

"We call upon all nations committed to peace and justice to take meaningful steps to prevent further escalation," AFP quoted Gharibabadi as saying.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The United States will resume nuclear talks with Iran on Thursday, a US official confirmed to AFP, as Washington continues its huge military build-up to put pressure on Tehran.

The US official, speaking on Monday, did not give further details. Iran said on Sunday that the talks were expected to happen on Thursday in Geneva, as did regional mediator Oman.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to travel to Geneva this week for more US-Iran talks amid a fragile diplomatic effort as regional tensions escalate and the threat of US airstrikes lingers.

President Donald Trump’s special envoy and son-in-law will attend the latest round of Iran negotiations Thursday, people familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned of a wider escalation if his country was attacked, after US President Donald Trump raised the threat of strikes.

"We call upon all nations committed to peace and justice to take meaningful steps to prevent further escalation," Gharibabadi said at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: A London-based Persian language channel on Monday said it had been forced to suspend live broadcasts after UK counter-terror police alerted its landlord to a potential threat from Tehran, AFP reported.

Manoto TV, which launched in 2010 and is an opposition channel popular with the Iranian diaspora, said the temporary suspension came as Iran faced one of the "most sensitive moments" in its history.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iranian students defied authorities with protests for a third day on Monday, weeks after security forces crushed mass unrest with thousands killed.

State media outlets reported students chanting anti-government slogans at Tehran University, burning flags at the all-women al-Zahra University, and scuffles at Amir Kabir University, all located in the capital.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran said Monday that a US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic Republic to respond "ferociously", after President Donald Trump said he was considering limited strikes against the country.

"And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defence ferociously, so that's what we would do," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran, AFP reported.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Gold rose to a three-week high on Monday, fueled by a fresh wave of safe-haven demand on uncertainty over US Iran conflict.

Spot gold was up 0.9% at $5,150.59 per ounce by 09:08 am, having hit its highest since January 30 earlier in the session.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The United States and Iran will hold their next round of nuclear talks Thursday in Geneva, Oman's foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi confirmed.

• Amid growing fears of a military escalation between Iran and the US, India has urged its nationals in Iran to leave the country.
• In its latest warning against a possible US attack, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has reportedly said that any form of attack would be considered an “act of aggression”.
• An anonymous text message was sent to people across Iran on Monday saying, “The US president is a man of action. Wait and see.”
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may push back a trip to Israel in which he is expected to speak about potential strikes on Iran.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut.

"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," a senior State Department official told Reuters.

"The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens," the official said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may push back a trip to Israel in which he is expected to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about potential strikes on Iran, AFPP reported.

"Secretary Rubio is still planning to travel to Israel but the schedule remains subject to change," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The US State Department on Monday ordered non-essential US diplomats and their families to leave Lebanon as tensions with Iran soared.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is expected to arrive in Muscat on Tuesday carrying Tehran’s response on its nuclear file, Iran International reported.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said reports of Larijani’s trip to Oman needed to be verified and that he had no information about such a visit.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The biggest US troop deployment in the Middle East since the Iraq War is sending the black market price for Elon Musk’s Starlink terminals soaring in Iran, where people fear a war would trigger another countrywide internet shutdown, Bloomberg reported.

Prices for the smuggled kits, banned by the regime for enabling uncensored web access, have soared to as much as $4,000. Prior to the Iran-Israel war in June last year, the same units sold for $700 to $1,000.