TEHRAN:&nbsp;Iran&#39;s judiciary said the death toll from a strike on Saturday that hit a school in the country&#39;s south has risen to 85, after the US and Israel launched a wave of attacks on the Islamic republic.&nbsp;&quot;The number of martyrs at the girls&#39; school in Minab has increased to 85,&quot; the judiciary&#39;s Mizan Online website quoted the local prosecutor&#39;s office as saying.&nbsp;AFP was unable to access the location to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.&nbsp;Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian said &quot;this barbaric act is another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors&quot;.&nbsp;Israel and the US launched a wave of strikes against their longtime foe on Saturday morning.&nbsp;

Asia

Iran’s judiciary said the death toll from a Saturday strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to 85, following US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic.

Death toll from attack on school in Iran's south rises to 85: Judiciary

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday he was frustrated by Iran&#39;s position in talks but added he had not yet decided whether to carry out a threatened attack.&nbsp;A day after the United States and Iran held talks in Geneva, Trump said that the cleric-run state was &quot;not willing to give us what we have to have.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We haven&#39;t made a final decision,&quot; he told reporters when asked about the use of force.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re not exactly happy with the way they negotiated. They cannot have nuclear weapons, and we&#39;re not thrilled with the way they&#39;re negotiating,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;&quot;We want no nuclear weapons by Iran and they&#39;re not saying those golden words.&quot;&nbsp;Iran has said repeatedly that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and US intelligence has found no evidence that it has made a decision to do so.&nbsp;But the United States and Israel, which carried out a major bombing campaign in Iran in June, are skeptical of the statements by Iran, which backs Palestinian militants Hamas.&nbsp;Asked if an attack would trigger all-out war in the Middle East, Trump said, &quot;I guess you could always say there&#39;s always a risk.&nbsp;&quot;You know when there&#39;s war, there&#39;s a risk in anything, both good and bad.&quot;&nbsp;Trump was circumspect on whether a US attack would bring down the Islamic republic, a sworn enemy of the United States and Israel.&nbsp;Authorities last month killed thousands of people as they crushed mass protests in the biggest threat to the ruling clerics since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.&nbsp;&quot;Nobody knows. There might be and there might not be,&quot; Trump said of regime change.&nbsp;Trump in his first term ripped up a nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama in which Iran agreed to strict limits on uranium enrichment.

Americas

US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Iran after Geneva talks, saying no final decision on military action has been made. He demanded Iran abandon nuclear ambitions, while US and Israeli skepticism persists amid regional tensions.

Trump 'not thrilled' with Iran but undecided on attack

ISTANBUL: Flights from Istanbul airport to Tehran were cancelled on Friday night amid a mounting US military buildup around Iran.&nbsp;Istanbul airport said flights by Turkish Airlines and two Iranian companies to the Iranian capital had been cancelled.&nbsp;Four flights to Tehran scheduled for Saturday were also cancelled, though six others remained on the schedule. A Turkish Airlines flight to the northern Iranian city of Tabriz, due to leave early Saturday, was called off.&nbsp;Turkish authorities made no comment on events in Iran on Friday, declining to join the litany of nations advising their citizens against travel to the Islamic republic.&nbsp;Turkey has a 550 kilometer (340 mile) frontier with Iran that has three crossing points.

Flights from Istanbul Airport to Tehran were cancelled Friday night amid rising US military tensions around Iran. Turkish Airlines and Iranian carriers halted services, affecting several Saturday flights, while Turkey issued no travel warning despite the situation.

Istanbul flights to Tehran cancelled Friday night: airport

GENEVA: Iran and the United States made &quot;significant progress&quot; in talks in Switzerland on Thursday, mediators said, after the latest round of negotiations to avert a war between the longtime foes, and agreed to further discussions next week in Austria. The Oman-mediated negotiations follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with the US president last Thursday giving Tehran 15 days to reach a deal. While Iran has insisted the discussions focus solely on its nuclear program, the US wants Tehran&#39;s missile program and its support for militant groups in the region curtailed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV that the talks &quot;made very good progress and entered into the elements of an agreement very seriously, both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field.&quot; He said the next round would take place in &quot;perhaps less than a week,&quot; with technical talks at the UN&#39;s nuclear agency to begin in Vienna on Monday. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi also announced technical discussions were to be held &quot;next week in Vienna.&quot; &quot;We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran,&quot; he said in a post on X. The negotiations took place as the US continued its largest military buildup in the Middle East in decades. The US and Iranian delegations held a morning session at the Omani ambassador&#39;s residence amid tight security, before pausing to hold consultations with their respective capitals. A second session began around 1700 GMT. Albusaidi said after the morning session that the two sides expressed &quot;unprecedented openness to new and creative ideas and solutions.&quot; UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi joined the negotiations, a source close to the talks told AFP, with an Iranian state TV journalist also reporting he was attending. Dramatic buildup The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump&#39;s negotiating team would demand that Iran dismantle its three main nuclear sites and hand over all its remaining enriched uranium to the United States. Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted ahead of the talks that the Islamic republic was not &quot;at all&quot; seeking a nuclear weapon. As part of the dramatic US buildup, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world&#39;s largest aircraft carrier, sent to the Mediterranean this week, left a naval base in Crete on Thursday, an AFP photographer said. Washington currently has more than a dozen warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier &mdash; the USS Abraham Lincoln &mdash; nine destroyers and three other combat ships. It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers, which carry dozens of warplanes and are crewed by thousands of sailors, in the region. The developments follow massive protests in Iran during which, rights groups say, thousands of demonstrators were killed. &#39;Sinister nuclear ambitions&#39; In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump accused Iran of &quot;pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions&quot;, though Tehran has always insisted its program is for civilian purposes. Trump also claimed Tehran had &quot;already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they&#39;re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.&quot; The Iranian foreign ministry called these claims &quot;big lies.&quot; The maximum range of Iran&#39;s missiles is 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles), according to what Tehran has publicly disclosed. However, the US Congressional Research Service estimates they top out at about 3,000 kilometers &mdash; less than a third of the distance to the continental United States. Trump&#39;s State of the Union accusations in Congress were delivered in the same forum in which then-president George W. Bush laid out the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. &#39;People would suffer&#39; Araghchi, who led the Iranian delegation at the talks, had called them &quot;a historic opportunity,&quot; adding that a deal was &quot;within reach.&quot; The US was represented by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka. The two countries held talks earlier this month in Oman, then gathered for a second round in Geneva last week. A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. In January, Tehran launched a mass crackdown on nationwide protests that posed one of the greatest challenges to the Islamic republic since its inception. Protests have since resumed around Iranian universities. Tehran residents who spoke to AFP were divided on what renewed conflict would mean for them. &quot;There would be famine and people would suffer a lot. People are suffering now, but at least with war, our fate might be clear,&quot; 60-year-old homemaker Tayebeh said.

Middle East

The Oman-mediated negotiations follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with the US president last Thursday giving Tehran 15 days to reach a deal.

Iran says 'good progress' in US talks, next round within a week

GENEVA: The United States and Iran are set to hold indirect talks in Switzerland on Thursday, aiming to strike a deal to avert a fresh conflict and end weeks of threats. The new round of negotiations in Geneva comes after the US carried out a massive military build-up in the region and President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if a deal is not reached. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump accused Iran of &quot;pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions.&quot; He also claimed Tehran had &quot;already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they&#39;re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.&quot; The Iranian foreign ministry called these claims &quot;big lies.&quot; The maximum range of Iran&#39;s missiles is 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) according to what Tehran has publicly disclosed. However, the US Congressional Research Service estimates they top out at about 3,000 kilometers &mdash; less than a third of the distance to the continental United States. The dispute between the countries mostly revolves around Iran&#39;s nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at building an atomic bomb but Tehran insists is peaceful. However, the US has also been pushing to discuss Iran&#39;s ballistic missile program, as well as Tehran&#39;s support for armed groups hostile towards Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iran must also negotiate on its missile program, calling Tehran&#39;s refusal to discuss ballistic weapons &quot;a big, big problem&quot; on the eve of the talks. He followed up by saying, &quot;the president wants diplomatic solutions.&quot; Iran has taken anything beyond the nuclear issue off the negotiating table and has demanded that the US sanctions crippling its economy be part of any agreement. &#39;Neither war nor peace&#39;&nbsp;Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday he had a &quot;favorable outlook for the negotiations&quot; that could finally &quot;move beyond this &#39;neither war nor peace&#39; situation.&quot; Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation at the talks, has called them &quot;a historic opportunity,&quot; adding that a deal was &quot;within reach.&quot; The US will be represented by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka. The two countries held talks earlier this month in Oman, which is mediating the negotiations, then gathered for a second round in Geneva last week. A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. In January, fresh tensions between the US and Iran emerged after Tehran engaged in a crackdown on widespread protests that have posed one of the greatest challenges to the Islamic republic since its inception. Trump has threatened several times to intervene to &quot;help&quot; the Iranian people. Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow for Middle East security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said, &quot;The region seems to expect a war at this point.&quot; In January, there was &quot;a big push by a number of Middle Eastern states to convince the US not to&quot; strike Iran. &quot;But there&#39;s a lot of apprehension at this point, because the expectation is that this time, a war would be &quot;bigger&quot; than the one in June.

The new round of negotiations in Geneva comes after the US carried out a massive military build-up in the region; President Trump has threatened to strike Iran if a deal is not reached, accuses Iran of 'pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions.'

US presses missile issue as new Iran talks to open in Geneva

PARIS: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran&#39;s red lines and warning against any American attack.&nbsp;According to excerpts published on his official Telegram channel during an interview with the Al Jazeera network, Araghchi said that Iran&#39;s missile programme was &quot;never negotiable&quot; in Friday&#39;s talks in Oman.&nbsp;He warned that Tehran would target US bases in the region if the US attacked Iranian territory.&nbsp;However, Araghchi also said that despite the talks in Muscat being indirect, &quot;an opportunity arose to shake hands with the American delegation&quot;.&nbsp;He called the talks &quot;a good start&quot;, but added that building trust would take time. He said the talks would resume &quot;soon&quot;.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump on Friday called the talks &quot;very good&quot;, and pledged another round of negotiations next week.&nbsp;Despite this, he signed an executive order effective from Saturday that called for the &quot;imposition of tariffs&quot; on countries still doing business with Iran.&nbsp;The United States also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran&#39;s oil exports.&nbsp;More than a quarter of Iran&#39;s trade is with China, with $18 billion in imports and $14.5 billion in exports in 2024, according to World Trade Organization data.&nbsp;Araghchi told Al Jazeera that nuclear enrichment was Iran&#39;s &quot;inalienable right and must continue&quot;.&nbsp;&#39;Defence issue&#39;&nbsp;&quot;We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;The Iranian nuclear case will only be resolved through negotiations.&quot;&nbsp;He also said Iran&#39;s missile programme was &quot;never negotiable&quot; because it relates to a &quot;defence issue&quot;.&nbsp;Washington has sought to address Iran&#39;s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region -- issues which Israel has pushed to include in the talks, according to media reports.&nbsp;Tehran has repeatedly rejected expanding the scope of the negotiations beyond the nuclear issue.&nbsp;Friday&#39;s unprecedented talks between the two arch enemies came amid a major US military buildup in the region in the wake of Iran&#39;s crackdown on protests that began in late December, driven by economic grievances.&nbsp;Araghchi warned that Iran &quot;will attack their (US) bases in the region&quot; if Washington targets Iranian territory.&nbsp;The negotiations were the first since nuclear talks between Iran and the United States collapsed last year following Israel&#39;s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war.&nbsp;During the war US warplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites.&nbsp;Araghchi&nbsp;told Al Jazeera that if attacked again, &quot;we will attack their bases in the region&quot;, referring to the United States.&nbsp;The authorities in Iran have acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed in the recent protests, publishing on Sunday a list of 2,986 names, most of whom they say were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders.&nbsp;International organisations have put the toll far higher.&nbsp;Protests toll&nbsp;The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which has kept a running toll since the onset of the protests, says it has verified 6,872 deaths, mainly of protesters, and has another 11,280 cases under investigation. It has also counted more than 50,000 arrests.&nbsp;At Friday&#39;s talks in Oman the US delegation was led by Trump&#39;s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his influential son-in-law Jared Kushner.&nbsp;&quot;In a very positive atmosphere, our arguments were exchanged and the views of the other side were shared with us,&quot; Araghchi told Iranian state TV after the talks, adding that the two sides had &quot;agreed to continue negotiations&quot;.&nbsp;Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, Araghchi expressed hope that Washington would refrain from &quot;threats and pressure&quot; so that &quot;the talks can continue&quot;.&nbsp;On Saturday, Araghchi&nbsp;criticised what he labelled a &quot;doctrine of domination&quot; that allows Israel to expand its military arsenal while pressuring other states in the region to disarm.&nbsp;He was speaking at the Al Jazeera Forum conference in Qatar, but in his speech made no reference to Friday&#39;s talks in Oman with the United States.

Iran’s foreign minister signals talks with Washington may soon resume, calling negotiations a start, but restates red lines on missiles and enrichment, warns of strikes on US bases, as Trump praises talks while imposing sanctions.

Iran FM looks to more nuclear talks, but warns US

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington held &quot;very good talks&quot; on Iran after the two sides held an indirect dialogue in Oman. Iran, for its part, said it expected to hold more negotiations with the United States, hailing a &quot;positive atmosphere&quot; during a day of talks in the Gulf sultanate. With an American naval group led by an aircraft carrier in Middle Eastern waters, US and Iranian delegations held talks in Muscat mediated by Oman without publicly meeting face-to-face. Shortly after the talks concluded, the US announced new sanctions against shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran&#39;s oil exports. But it was not clear if the move was linked to the talks. The talks were the first between the two foes since the United States joined Israel&#39;s war with Iran in June with strikes on nuclear sites. &quot;We likewise had very good talks on Iran,&quot; Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding, &quot;we&#39;re going to meet again early next week.&quot; However, as Iran warned against further threats after Washington raised the specter of new military action, Trump said: &quot;If they don&#39;t make a deal, the consequences are very steep.&quot; Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led Iran&#39;s delegation in Muscat, said talks &quot;focused exclusively&quot; on the Iranian nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb but Tehran insists is peaceful. The US delegation, led by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump&#39;s influential son-in-law Jared Kushner, had also wanted Tehran&#39;s backing for fighter groups, its ballistic missile program and treatment of protesters on the agenda. &quot;In a very positive atmosphere, our arguments were exchanged, and the views of the other side were shared with us,&quot; Araghchi told Iranian state TV, adding that the two sides had &quot;agreed to continue negotiations.&quot; Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, Araghchi expressed hope that Washington would refrain from &quot;threats and pressure&quot; so that &quot;the talks can continue.&quot; &#39;Destabilizing power&#39; Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, was present at the talks, according to images published by the Oman News Agency. Multiple sessions of talks in the morning and afternoon saw both sides shuttling to and from the residence of Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi. The foreign ministry of US ally Qatar expressed hope the talks would &quot;lead to a comprehensive agreement that serves the interests of both parties and enhances security and stability in the region.&quot; The White House has made clear it wants the talks to rein in Tehran&#39;s ability to make a nuclear bomb, an ambition the Islamic Republic has always denied. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that Iran should stop being a &quot;destabilizing power,&quot; citing its nuclear program and support for &quot;terrorist&quot; groups. Barrot also called on &quot;groups supported by Iran&quot; to exert &quot;the utmost restraint&quot; in the event of any military escalation involving the Islamic Republic. &#39;Maximum pressure&#39; Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters last month, which rights groups say killed thousands, and even told demonstrators, &quot;help is on its way.&quot; Regional powers, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, urged the United States not to intervene, calling on Washington and Tehran to instead return to talks. As a consequence, Trump&#39;s rhetoric in recent days has focused on reining in the Iranian nuclear program, and the US has maneuvered a naval group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln into the region. Iran has repeatedly vowed it will hit back at US bases in the region if attacked. The new sanctions to curb Iran&#39;s oil exports come with Trump &quot;committed to driving down the Iranian regime&#39;s illicit oil and petrochemical exports under the administration&#39;s maximum pressure campaign,&quot; State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

Iran says it expects to hold more negotiations with the US, hails a "positive atmosphere" during a day of talks in the Gulf sultanate; US announces new sanctions against shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran's oil exports, it is not clear if the move is linked to the talks.

Trump says US talks with Iran 'very good,' more negotiations expected

MUSCAT: Iran and the United States were preparing for talks on Friday in Oman, with Washington looking to see if there was any prospect of diplomatic progress on the Iranian nuclear program and other issues while refusing to rule out military action. The talks &mdash; finally confirmed by both sides late Wednesday after uncertainty over the location, timing and format &mdash; will be the first such encounter between the two foes since the United States joined Israel&#39;s war against the Islamic republic in June with strikes on nuclear sites. President Donald Trump&#39;s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are due to lead their delegations at negotiations in the discreet Gulf sultanate, which has periodically acted as a mediator between the countries. Iranian state news agency IRNA reported late Thursday that Araghchi had arrived in Muscat for the talks. Iran&#39;s foreign ministry said Thursday evening that it had a &quot;responsibility not to miss any opportunity to use diplomacy&quot; to preserve peace, adding it hoped Washington would participate in the discussions &quot;with responsibility, realism and seriousness.&quot; The meeting comes just under a month after the peak of a wave of nationwide protests in Iran against the clerical leadership, which rights groups say were repressed with an unprecedented crackdown that has left thousands dead. &quot;They&#39;re negotiating,&quot; Trump said of Iran on Thursday. &quot;They don&#39;t want us to hit them, we have a big fleet going there,&quot; he added, referring to the aircraft carrier group he has repeatedly called an &quot;armada.&quot; Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters and even told demonstrators, &quot;help is on its way.&quot; But his rhetoric in recent days has focused on reining in the Iranian nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at making a bomb. US Vice President JD Vance told SiriusXM in an interview broadcast Wednesday that Trump would &quot;keep his options open.&quot; &quot;He is going to talk to everybody, he is going to try to accomplish what he can through non-military means, and if he feels like the military is the only option, then he is ultimately going to choose that,&quot; Vance said. &#39;Inflexibility&#39; towards US demands&nbsp;German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking in the Qatari capital Doha, urged Iran&#39;s leadership to &quot;truly enter talks,&quot; saying there was a &quot;great fear of military escalation in the region.&quot; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted by Turkish newspapers as saying: &quot;So far, I see that the parties want to make room for diplomacy,&quot; adding that conflict was &quot;not the solution.&quot; There had been tensions in the run-up to the talks over whether the meeting should also include regional countries and address Tehran&#39;s support of proxies and its ballistic missile program, two US concerns that Iran resisted. Citing unnamed Iranian officials, the New York Times said the United States agreed the talks would exclude regional actors, and while the meeting would focus on the nuclear issue, it would also discuss missiles and militant groups &quot;with the goal of coming up with a framework for a deal.&quot; &quot;Iran continues to show inflexibility toward addressing US demands, which reduces the likelihood that Iran and the United States will be able to reach a diplomatic solution,&quot; the US-based Institute for the Study of War said. With the American threats of military action still looming, the United States has maneuvered a naval group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln into the region, while Iran has repeatedly vowed it will hit back at US bases if attacked. &quot;We are ready to defend and it is the US president who must choose between compromise or war,&quot; state television on Thursday quoted army spokesman General Mohammad Akraminia as saying, warning that Iran has &quot;easy&quot; access to US regional bases.

The talks will be the first such encounter between the two foes since the United States joined Israel's war against the Islamic Republic in June with strikes on nuclear sites.

Iran, US prepare for Oman talks after deadly protest crackdown

PARIS: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, local media said, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened &quot;bad things&quot; if no deal with the Islamic Republic was struck. Following the Iranian authorities&#39; deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will &quot;work something out&quot; with Iran, but also warned on Monday that &quot;bad things would happen&quot; if no deal is reached. Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression. &quot;President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States&quot; on Iran&#39;s nuclear programme, the Fars news agency reported on Monday, citing an unnamed government source. The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh. Later, the Iranian president confirmed the same in an X post.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 273px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2018551558959710505&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=934bcaac9920a366cfc707e9facf468e7c1b9f5b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div><div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 435px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2018551561522135352&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=934bcaac9920a366cfc707e9facf468e7c1b9f5b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>A meeting is likely to take place in Turkiye on Friday, following interventions by Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, and Oman, an Arab official told AFP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. US news site Axios cited two unnamed sources as saying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul to discuss a possible deal on the nuclear issue. Trump had warned &quot;time is running out&quot; for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied. In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Araghchi said: &quot;President Trump said no nuclear weapons, and we fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal,&quot; adding that, &quot;in return, we expect sanctions lifting.&quot; Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier on Monday that Tehran was developing a method and framework for negotiations that would be ready in the coming days, with messages between the two sides relayed through regional intermediaries. &#39;Police the world&#39;&nbsp;Turkiye&nbsp;has led a diplomatic push to defuse tensions, with Araghchi visiting Istanbul last week and speaking with other regional counterparts, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Jordan&#39;s top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, assured Araghchi on Monday that the kingdom would &quot;not be a battleground in any regional conflict or a launching pad for any military action against Iran.&quot; Iranian authorities, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have warned that any US attack would trigger a &quot;regional war.&quot; In Tehran, pensioner Ali Hamidi told AFP he was a veteran and &quot;not afraid of war,&quot; but that &quot;America should mind its own business, why does it want to police the world?&quot; But, the 68-year-old added, &quot;Iranian officials are also at fault for not providing for the people. The economic troubles are back-breaking ... The officials should do something tangible, not just talk.&quot; The protests were sparked in late December by economic strain and exploded in size and intensity over several days in early January. Authorities have said the protests were &quot;riots&quot; inflamed by its arch-foes, the United States and Israel, with Khamenei likening them to a &quot;coup&quot; attempt. Ambassadors summonedTehran has acknowledged thousands of deaths during the protests, and on Sunday, the presidency published the names of 2,986 people out of the 3,117 whom authorities said were killed in the unrest. Authorities insist most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to &quot;terrorist acts.&quot; The crackdown prompted the European Union to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, with Iranian lawmakers retaliating on Sunday by slapping the same designation on European armies. The EU also issued fresh sanctions on Iranian officials, including the interior minister, a move echoed on Monday by Britain, which announced sanctions on 10 individuals over the &quot;brutality against protesters.&quot; Baqaei said Monday that the foreign ministry had summoned all the EU member-state ambassadors in Tehran over the designation, and that further responses were to come. Iranian state television also announced four foreigners had been arrested in Tehran for &quot;participation in riots,&quot; without specifying their nationalities. Authorities have continued to announce arrests, with rights groups estimating that at least 40,000 people have been detained over the protests.

An official says a meeting between US negotiators and senior Iranian officials is 'likely to take place on Friday in Turkiye'; the potential meeting was arranged following interventions by Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, and Oman.


Iran okays talks with US as Trump warns of 'bad things' if no deal reached

Web Desk/AFP

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said he hoped to avoid military action against Tehran despite escalating tensions, while Pakistan and Iran underscored the importance of sustained dialogue and diplomatic engagement to preserve regional peace. In a telephone conversation on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian exchanged views on the evolving regional situation. According to an official statement, both leaders stressed that dialogue and diplomacy were essential for peace, stability, and sustainability in the region. Reflecting &quot;close and fraternal ties,&quot; Sharif and Pezeshkian reaffirmed their commitment to maintain regular consultations and engagements through bilateral mechanisms to strengthen cooperation. The diplomatic outreach came amid heightened rhetoric between Washington and Tehran. Trump said he was already in contact with Iran and left open the possibility of talks. &ldquo;I have had [talks] and I am planning on it,&rdquo; he told reporters when asked whether he would engage Iran diplomatically. Earlier, Trump warned that &ldquo;time is running out&rdquo; for Tehran to make a deal, while saying a US naval strike group deployed to the Middle East was &ldquo;ready, willing and able&rdquo; to act.&nbsp; He had previously said a &ldquo;massive armada&rdquo; of US vessels was heading toward waters off Iran and could carry out its mission &ldquo;with speed and violence, if necessary.&rdquo; Iran responded with sharp warnings. An Iranian military spokesman said any US action would trigger an immediate and decisive response.&nbsp; Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia told state television that Tehran&rsquo;s reaction would not be limited, adding that US aircraft carriers had &ldquo;serious vulnerabilities&rdquo; and that American bases across the Gulf were &ldquo;within the range of our medium-range missiles.&rdquo; &ldquo;If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines,&rdquo; Akraminia said, rejecting the idea of a quick operation followed by a rapid withdrawal. As tensions rose, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for renewed nuclear negotiations to &ldquo;avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region,&rdquo; according to UN officials. Concerns over the risk of escalation were echoed by regional officials. A Gulf official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that fears of a US strike on Iran were &ldquo;very clear,&rdquo; warning that conflict would plunge the region into chaos, damage global markets and send oil and gas prices sharply higher. Diplomatic activity also extended beyond Islamabad and Tehran. Qatar&rsquo;s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and President Pezeshkian held a phone call to discuss efforts &ldquo;to de-escalate tensions and establish stability,&rdquo; Qatar News Agency reported. Meanwhile, pressure on Iran increased from Europe. The European Union designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a &ldquo;terrorist organization,&rdquo; citing a deadly crackdown on recent protests in Iran. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the designation was &ldquo;overdue,&rdquo; describing the Iranian authorities&rsquo; actions against protesters as brutal. Iran&rsquo;s military rejected the EU move, calling it &ldquo;illogical, irresponsible and spite-driven,&rdquo; and accused the bloc of acting in obedience to the US and Israel. Iranian officials have blamed the recent wave of protests on foreign interference, claims rejected by Western governments. Trump had earlier warned of possible military action if protesters were killed during demonstrations that erupted in late December last year and peaked in early January.&nbsp; More recently, however, his focus has shifted to Iran&rsquo;s nuclear programme, which Western governments believe is aimed at developing an atomic weapon. An allegation Tehran denies.

The US president says he is speaking with Iran and hopes to avoid war, as Islamabad and Tehran stress diplomacy, the UN urges nuclear talks, and the Iranian army warns of an instant, decisive response to any US action.

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