Speaking about the issue between the United States and Iran, the latter’s supreme leader said, “The United States wants to swallow Iran; the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic resist it.”
Live Updates on Iran-US Tensions: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stern warning to the United States on Sunday, saying it would turn into a regional war if the latter starts a war and said the Americans would not try to “intimidate the Iranian nation” with “warships and planes.”
However, despite Khamenei’s harsh comments, US President Donald Trump on Sunday reiterated his hope that the US and Iran could strike a deal. Responding to questions about Iran’s supreme leader’s comments, the US president said he was hopeful the two countries would reach an agreement.
“Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll find out if he was right,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
What is the cause of Iran-US tension?
Although Iran and the United States have been at odds for some time, a recent escalation of tensions between the two countries led to anti-government protests in Iran, during which thousands of people were reported to have died during a crackdown on protesters, prompting the US president to intervene and warn Iran against taking action against the protesters.
The protests, which began on December 28, 2025, soon turned into a movement against the current regime in Iran over the country’s deteriorating economic situation. However, Iran described the protests as “riots” instigated by the US and Israel.
‘Iran has lost confidence in the US as a negotiating partner’
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he believed the US president was “intelligent enough to make the right decision”, although he was concerned about “miscalculations”.
Aragchi said the Islamic nation no longer trusts the United States as a negotiating partner while some Middle Eastern countries are trying to mediate and rebuild that trust.
“So I see the possibility of another negotiation if the U.S. negotiating team follows through on what President Trump said: come to a fair and equitable agreement to ensure that there are no nuclear weapons,” he told CNN in an interview.
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Feb 02, 2026 9:39:28 AM
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Iran-US Tensions Live Update: Oil prices fall as Trump signals easing of US-Iran tensionsIran-US tensions live update: Oil prices fell 4 percent on Monday after the US president signaled an easing of tensions between the US and Iran over the weekend and said the two countries were “seriously talking”, after US-Iran tensions pushed prices to multi-month highs, news agency Reuters reported.
Brent crude futures were down $2.81, or 4.1%, at $66.51 a barrel by 0325 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $2.70, or 4.1%, to $62.51 a barrel, the report added.
Feb 02, 2026 9:29:31 AM
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Iran-US tensions live update: Iran releases protester Erfan Soltani on bailIran-US tensions live update: Iranian authorities have ordered the release of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani on bail, his lawyer said on Sunday. It comes after the United States warned against executing Soltani and warned Iran against executing protesters.
Soltani is an Iranian shopkeeper detained for participating in anti-government protests in Iran. He was arrested in January on charges of spreading propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system, according to Iran’s judiciary.
Although the United States warned that the protester was due to be executed, Iran said Soltani was never on death row.
Feb 02, 2026 9:19:12 AM
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Iran-US tensions live update: ‘We are not war-mongers’ – Iran’s supreme leaderIran-US tensions live update: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid rising tensions with the United States, issued a stern warning on Sunday saying he is not a “starter of war” and “does not want to oppress anyone”.
“We do not want to attack any country. However, anyone who wants to attack or harm, will face a decisive blow from the Iranian nation,” he added.
