Iranian-American tensions: Student-led protests in Iran entered their second day on some campuses on Sunday, although the country remains engaged in talks with the United States to reach a nuclear deal. On this front, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi confirmed that the next round of talks will be held in Geneva on Thursday, February 26.
This development comes days after US President Donald Trump gave Iran a 10-15 day ultimatum to reach a nuclear agreement, warning that doing otherwise would be “unfortunate.”
Meanwhile, even as he stressed that the two sides were working on elements of the agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that his country would respond if the United States decided to attack.
The most prominent developments in tension between Iran and the United States:
New student protests: After weeks of a deadly crackdown on protesters by the Iranian regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country has recently witnessed new protests. Reuters news agency reported that some universities in Tehran and Mashhad witnessed protests for the second day on Sunday. A day earlier, protests against “killer leader” Khamenei were seen at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. However, Iranian state television broadcast videos of individuals “pretending to be students” attacking pro-government students who were against the unrest the country witnessed last month.
What comes after the nuclear talks? Despite the massive US military buildup in the Middle East, talks between Tehran and Washington’s negotiators on Iran’s nuclear program are scheduled to resume on Thursday in Geneva, said Badr al-Busaidi, Foreign Minister of Oman, a regional mediator.
Trump gives Iran a 15-day deadline: Days before Oman’s representative confirmed the resumption of talks between the United States and Iran on a possible nuclear deal, Donald Trump warned Iran that an agreement on it would be reached within 10 to 15 days. Speaking to reporters, Trump said: “Either we will reach an agreement, or it will be unfortunate for them… 10 to 15 days will be enough time.”
Is Trump planning to kill Khamenei? Amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between the United States and Iran, digital news site Axios recently reported that President Trump was presented with several options, one of which was a plan to kill Khamenei. “They have something for every scenario,” one presidential adviser said. “One scenario eliminates the ayatollah, his son and the mullahs.” The report said that the plan was first presented to Trump several weeks ago.
US military buildup in the Middle East: Speculation has emerged about a possible military escalation between the United States and Iran, largely due to the massive military buildup in the Middle East. According to Agence France-Presse, the US military now has 13 warships stationed in the Middle East: the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which arrived late last month, nine destroyers and three frigates.
Attention is now turning to the next round of talks on the nuclear agreement in Geneva.
