Iran’s top security official said on Saturday that progress had been made towards negotiations with the United States, even as the Islamic republic’s army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes.
The United States has deployed a naval task force led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off Iran’s coast, after President Donald Trump threatened to intervene following a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
The arrival of the flotilla has raised fears of a direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would retaliate with missile strikes on US bases, vessels and allies — notably Israel — in the event of an attack.
However, Trump has said he believes Iran would prefer to reach an agreement over its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face US military action. Tehran has said it is prepared to hold nuclear talks provided its missile and defence capabilities are not included in the negotiations.
“Contrary to the hype of a contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” said Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, a day after the Kremlin said he had held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, Iranian army chief Amir Hatami warned the United States and Israel against any attack, saying his forces were “at full defensive and military readiness” to respond.
“If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region and the security of the Zionist regime,” Hatami said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
He added that Iran’s nuclear technology and expertise “cannot be eliminated”.
Amid heightened tensions, Iranian authorities moved quickly to deny that several incidents reported on Saturday were linked to any attack or sabotage. These included an explosion in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, which local firefighters said was caused by a gas leak.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied that any of its naval facilities had been targeted, according to a statement carried by the Fars news agency.
The Tasnim news agency also denied “assassination rumours” involving the commander of the Guards’ navy, Alireza Tangsiri.
Own turf
On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the IRGC would carry out a “two-day live-fire naval exercise” in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit route for global energy supplies.
In a statement, CENTCOM warned the IRGC against “unsafe and unprofessional behaviour” near US forces.
The warning drew criticism from Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi.
“Operating off our shores, the US military is now attempting to dictate how our powerful armed forces should conduct target practice on their own turf,” he wrote on X.
The United States designated the IRGC a terrorist organisation in 2019, a move followed by the European Union on Thursday, prompting an angry response from Tehran.
The US carried out strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities in June, briefly joining Israel’s 12-day war against its regional rival.
Nationwide protests over rising living costs erupted on 28 December before evolving into a broader anti-government movement, peaking on 8 and 9 January in what authorities described as “riots” blamed on the United States and Israel.
The official death toll stands at 3,117.
However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed 6,563 deaths, including 6,170 protesters and 124 children.
On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian urged his government to heed public grievances in the wake of the demonstrations and to “serve the people”.
Some Iranians crossing into Turkey at the Kapikoy border point said they wanted freedom from the clerical leadership in Tehran. Just over 100 people crossed the border on Saturday.
“We want to be free too, to see tourists like in Turkey. Everyone sees us as terrorists. With the mullahs, we’ve gone back 100 years,” said Shabnan, who used a pseudonym.
“They were shooting us in the back. We were even targeted through our windows. Everyone has lost loved ones — friends, neighbours, acquaintances.”
Rosa, 29, who was travelling to Istanbul, said US pressure over the protests was insufficient.
“It’s far too late now. We know they won’t come for us, but for the oil — for their own interests. We don’t count,” she said.
On Saturday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, visited the shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic, to offer prayers as part of the 10-day celebrations marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
