Iran-US tensions highlights: Trump says ‘hopefully’ won't need military action in Iran

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Iran-US tensions LIVE: Here's what has happened recently:

• US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped to avoid military action against Iran, which has threatened to strike American bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack.
• UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for nuclear negotiations to "avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region".
• An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran's response to any US action would not be limited -- as it was in June last year when American planes and missiles briefly joined Israel's short air war against Iran -- but would be a decisive response "delivered instantly".
• The European Union, meanwhile, piled on the pressure by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a "terrorist organisation" over a deadly crackdown on recent mass protests.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Trump asked Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting to comment on the situation in Iran, as a large US military presence built up in the region.

"They should not pursue nuclear capabilities. We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department," Hegseth was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran threatened on Thursday to instantly strike US bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack, after US President Donald Trump warned time was running out for Tehran and the EU blacklisted its Revolutionary Guards as a terror group.

An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran's response to any US action would not be limited, as it was in June last year when American planes and missiles briefly joined Israel's short air war against Iran, but would be a decisive response “delivered instantly”, news agency AFP reported.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he wanted to avoid using military force against Iran. He said he plans to hold more discussions with Tehran on a possible nuclear agreement.

"I built (up) the military in my first term, and now we have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won't have to use it," Trump told reporters at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: US pressure on Iran has, over the past two decades, focused on Iran's nuclear programme. This is clear with US President Donald Trump's remarks on negotiations on a nuclear deal, which would limit Iran's nuclear capabilities.

However, Tehran has insisted that it has never acquired nuclear weapons, saying that it has a civilian program for its energy needs, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the European Union's designation of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps was unfounded, adding that it was “one of the strongest and most effective counterterrorism forces in the world”, Al Jazeera reported.

Qalibaf highlighted IRGC's history of combat with ISIL (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, saying it could not be denied "except by those who have sided with the terrorists themselves.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE: The US Department of State has said that senior officials from Iran and their families are no longer welcome in America.

“As the people of Iran continue to fight for their basic rights, @SecRubio took action this week to revoke the privilege of Iranian senior officials and their family members to be in the United States,” the State Department said in a post on X.

“Those who profit from the Iranian regime's brutal oppression are not welcome to benefit from our immigration system,” it said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Azerbaijan's minister of foreign affairs Jeyhun Bayramov reiterated his country's position in a call with Iranian counterpart Syed Abbas Araghchi.

The minister said Azerbaijan would not allow any attacks from its territory on Iran, Al Jazeera reported.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday alleged that the European Union's concern on human rights in Iran is a “blatant lie and hypocrisy.”

The foreign ministry further condemned the EU's designation of its Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist organisation” as “illegal and unjustified”, according to Reuters.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said the American military was ready to carry out whatever President Donald Trump decides on Iran.

“They should not pursue nuclear capabilities. We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department,” Hegseth said, according to Reuters. US officials say that Trump is reviewing options, but has not decided on whether to strike Iran, Reuters reported.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iranian army spokesman brigadier general Mohammad Akraminia told state television that Iran will deliver an immediate response in case of an attack by the United States.

“A decisive response will be delivered instantly,” AFP cited Akraminia as saying. The army spokesperson further said that US carriers have "serious vulnerabilities", while adding that several American air bases were “within the range of our medium-range missiles.”

“If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way (US President Donald) Trump imagines -- carrying out a quick operation and then, two hours later, tweeting that the operation is over,” Akraminia said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran must be ready and “prepared for state of war”, the country's first vice president said on Thursday, AFP news agency reported.

This comes after the United States moved an aircraft carrier to the region, while also not ruling out military action against Tehran over its protest crackdown.

“Today we must be prepared for a state of war. Our strategy is that we will never start a war, but if it is imposed, we will defend ourselves,” AFP cited First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref as saying, according to IRNA news agency. Aref further said Iran would be open to dialogue but added “this time we want guarantees.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE: UN chief Antonio Guterres Thursday called for dialogue between Iran and United States, saying diplomacy was needed to avoid “devastating consequences.”

“We believe that it's important that there is a dialogue allowing for an agreement in relation, namely, to the nuclear question and that we can avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region,” AFP cited Guterres as saying.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran must be ready for war, its first vice president said on Thursday, after the US moved an aircraft carrier to the region and did not rule out military action against Tehran over its deadly protest crackdown.

"Today we must be prepared for a state of war. Our strategy is that we will never start a war, but if it is imposed, we will defend ourselves," First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

He added that Iran was "ready" for negotiations with the United States but said "this time we want guarantees", without giving further details.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Turkey will offer to mediate between Washington and Tehran when Iran's foreign minister visits Friday, officials said, as per an AFP report.

This comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Turkish counterpart after US President Donald Trump threatened a military strike on Iran over its deadly protest crackdown this month and the lack of a nuclear agreement.

A US naval strike group is in the Middle East and Trump has warned it was "ready, willing and able" to hit Iran "if necessary".

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will tell Araghchi that his country "is ready to contribute to resolving the current tensions through dialogue", a Turkish diplomatic source told news agency AFP.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran's military on Thursday blasted a European Union move to designate the country's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation, saying the decision was "irresponsible and spite-driven".

"The illogical, irresponsible and spite-driven action of the European Union has undoubtedly been taken in unquestioning obedience to the hegemonic and anti-human policies of the United States and the Zionist (Israeli) regime," a statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces carried by the official IRNA news agency said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval forces will carry out live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on February 1 and February 2, Press TV reported on Thursday.

The strait is the world's most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: In wake of the tensions between Iran and the United States, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with his Iranian counterpart - Masoud Pezeshkian.

“We exchanged views on the evolving regional situation and agreed that sustained dialogue and diplomatic engagement are vital for peace, security, and development in our region,” Shairf wrote on X.

“We also reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening Pakistan–Iran fraternal ties through regular high-level engagement and institutional cooperation,” he added further.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: European Union foreign ministers on Thursday agreed to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "terrorist organisation", after a deadly crackdown on mass protests, the bloc's top diplomat said. "Repression cannot go unanswered," foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X. "Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise."

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Iran has vowed a "crushing response" to any attack after US President Donald Trump warned time was running out for a nuclear deal, and as the European Union looked to declare the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation. Foes Washington and Tehran have exchanged sharp warnings since a protest wave in Iran led Trump to threaten military action over a violent crackdown, while the Islamic republic blamed the United States for fuelling what it deemed "riots".

Iran-US tensions LIVE: As Trump continues to threaten Iran of a possible military attack, oil prices have once again soared.

As per an AFP report, oil prices have now jumped by 5% after Trump's latest threat.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Russia on Thursday said there still is scope for negotiations between the US and Iran, but warned that any military action against Tehran will lead to destabilised security systems in that region.

“We continue to call on all parties to exercise restraint and renounce any use of force in resolving the issue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said commenting on US President Donald Trump’s warning to Tehran.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany strongly supports listing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under EU terrorism sanctions and expressed confidence the bloc would reach a decision on Thursday.

“The federal government has strongly advocated for the Revolutionary Guard Corps to be listed,” Wadephul told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers. “I am very confident that we will reach a joint conclusion on this matter today.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE: The European Union has announced sanctions on 15 Iranian officials, including top commanders and officials of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, over Tehran's deadly crackdown on nationwide protests.

The sanctions announced Thursday also included measures against six Iranian organizations.

The decision by the 27-nation bloc marks the latest Western response over the violence, which activists say has killed over 6,300 people. It also comes as a U.S. aircraft carrier group is in the Mideast after President Donald Trump threatened military force against Iran.

Iran had no immediate comment on the decision, but it has been criticizing Europe in recent days as it considered the move. The EU's measures follow other sanctions against Iran by multiple countries.

(via Associated Press)