Updated on: Jan 29, 2026 3:17:29 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: Trump has warned Iran to make a deal with US or face military strikes worse than last time
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Iran’s foreign minister also asserted the country’s openness to a “fair and equitable nuclear deal”, if it is done on an “equal footing” and “ensure Iran’s rights to peaceful nuclear technology.” Araghchi also rejected Iran having acquired any nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no plan to attack when it came to Iran, but justified American military presence in the region as “wise and prudent.”
Trump says US carrier group ‘ready’ to fulfill mission if needed, Iran vows response ‘like never before’
US President Trump has warned Iran to make a deal with US or face military strikes worse than last time. In a post on Truth Social, the US President said the fleet of US ships in the region, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” Trump said. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!” the US President added.
Replying to the warning, Iran said it is ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests, but “if pushed, it will defend itself and respond like never before.”
What is the situation in Iran? Key points
• At least 6,221 people have been killed – including 5,856 protesters, 100 minors, 214 members of the security forces and 49 bystanders – amid a crackdown on the nationwide protests in Iran which began last month, US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
• The rights group further said at least 42,324 people had been arrested in Iran, adding that it was still investigating another 17,091 possible fatalities, AFP reported.
• HRANA has warned that security forces are searching hospitals to identify wounded protestors. However, Monitor Netblocks Wednesday said internet connectivity had been restored to around 95 percent, almost three weeks after a communications blackout in the country.
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Jan 29, 2026 3:17:29 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: Amid nationwide protests in the country, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged the regime to acknowledge its shortcomings.
“The unrest and instability in the country require a more realistic approach,” i Paper quoted Pezeshkian as saying, according to Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency.
Jan 29, 2026 2:42:21 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: Amid tensions in the country, Iran’s currency witnessed a further drop to a new low. Iran’s rial fell to a fresh record low on Wednesday on unofficial markets, with the US dollar traded at about 1.62 million rials , Iran International reported.
Jan 29, 2026 1:35:54 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: All member countries of the European Union are now on board for designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, The Wall Street Journal’s Laurence Norman said, citing sources. This comes on the eve of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
Jan 29, 2026 1:22:09 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken a cautious line when it comes to Iran, saying that there were no plans to attack.
Rubio, who said that the US military presence in the Middle East was to mitigate Iranian threat, also seemed to brush off prospects of change in the Iran regime.
“You’re talking about a regime that’s been in place for a very long time,” AP cited Rubio as saying in response to a question from Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. “So that’s going to require a lot of careful thinking, if that eventuality ever presents itself,” he said.
Jan 29, 2026 1:17:54 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that an increased American military presence in the Middle East is “to defend against what could be an Iranian threat against our personnel.”
“I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and … if necessary, preemptively prevent the attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region and our allies,” Rubio told US Congress Wednesday, Associated Press reported.
Jan 29, 2026 1:12:25 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: After US warning and the buildup of American military presence in the Middle East, Iran has said that while it stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests, it will “defend itself like never before” if pushed.
Jan 29, 2026 12:58:46 AM IST
Iran-US tensions LIVE: United States President Donald Trump said that the fleet of US ships he had ordered to Middle East, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”