Trump-Iran latest: US president hopeful of Tehran deal even as Khamenei warns of regional war

Iran’s foreign minister said he was “confident that we can achieve a deal” with the US on Tehran’s nuclear weapons program.

Speaking to CNN Sunday, Abbas Araghchi said there were parties wanting to drag Donald Trump in to a war for their own gain.

He said a meaningful negotiation between the two countries should be based on trust.

“Unfortunately, we have lost our trust [in] the US as a negotiating partner,” he said, adding that the exchange of messages through mediating countries was still able to facilitate “fruitful” talks.

“It is obvious to us that there are certain elements, certain parties, that want to drag President Trump into this war for their own benefits and I think President Trump is wise enough to make the correct decision.”

Iran has summoned all of the European Union’s ambassadors in the country to protest the bloc’s listing of the Islamic Republic’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terror group.

Last week the group was classified as a terrorist organisation over its part in a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that have led to thousands of deaths.

Other countries, including the US and Canada, have previously designated the Guard as a terrorist organization.

While the move is largely symbolic, it does add to the economic pressure squeezing Iran, particularly has the Guard has a major influence on the country's economy.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told journalists that the ambassadors had been summoned on Sunday.

Iran is examining various diplomatic processes in order to manage tensions with the US, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.

It expects results in the coming days.

“Regional countries are the go-between for messages that have been exchanged,” he said.

“Various points have been exchanged and we are currently deciding and examining the details of each diplomatic process that we hope will bring results in coming days.”

He added: “This pertains to the process and framework of (talks).”

Pressure is mounting inside Iran for an independent inquiry into the true death toll from recent protests, after the government said it would publish the names of those killed.

Reformists and civil society figures say the official toll of just over 3,000 lacks credibility, with many believing the real number is far higher, and are calling for transparent mechanisms or a UN-led investigation to address deep public distrust and fears of retaliation against victims’ families.

“Citizens should be able to publicly and openly upload names and information about the deceased without being identified. The site should then commit itself to verifying and providing necessary information about each announced name,” Mohsen Borhani, a law professor at Tehran University and a critic of the Iranian government, was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

Iran has issued a stark warning of potential regional conflict should the United States launch an attack, further escalating tensions between Washington DC and Tehran.

In a retaliatory move, Tehran also designated European Union armies as “terrorist groups”.

The US has ramped up its naval presence in the Middle East, prompted by President Donald Trump’s repeated threats of intervention over Iran’s nuclear programme and its handling of protesters.

Despite the ongoing standoff, both Iran’s clerical leadership and the Trump administration have signalled a readiness to resume talks, with regional allies like Turkey actively seeking de-escalation.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted on state media as saying that although Trump says he has sent ships to the region, “the Iranian nation shall not be scared by these things, the Iranian people will not be stirred by these threats.

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Donald Trump said India will begin buying oil from Venezuela instead of Iran, claiming a deal is already in place as Washington seeks to reshape global oil flows amid sanctions and trade pressure.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said: “India is coming in, and they’re going to be buying Venezuelan oil as opposed to buying it from Iran. So, we’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal.”

India has largely avoided Iranian oil because of US sanctions and instead ramped up imports from Russia after discounted crude became available following the Ukraine war.

The US has repeatedly pressured New Delhi to curb Russian oil purchases, including by sharply raising tariffs on Indian exports last year. However, officials have since signalled a possible rollback as Indian imports from Russia declined.

At the same time, Washington has eased some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector to facilitate sales, with a White House official saying the move “would help flow existing product” and that more easing could follow.

Iranian protester Erfan Soltani, who was widely reported to be facing imminent execution over anti-government protests, has been released on bail after weeks in detention.

Iranian authorities denied he had been sentenced to death, saying he faced security-related charges.

Soltani’s lawyer, Amir Mousakhani, told AFP that his client was freed on bail on Saturday and was returned all his personal belongings, including his mobile phone.

He said bail was set at two billion tomans (about $12,600 or £9,200).

A misstep by America in the Middle East could be catastrophic, so it needs to seek a resolution through negotiation:

Donald Trump said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran even as tensions escalate, after Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any US attack would trigger a “regional war”.

In comments reported by the state media, he said: “America should know that if it starts a war, this time it will be a regional war.

“These threats are nothing new. In the past as well, American officials repeatedly talked about war and said that all options were on the table including war.

“Now this man (Trump) too, keeps claiming that they have brought aircraft carriers and warplanes. The Iranian people should not and will not be frightened by such things.

“We are not the ones who start a war and we do not want to attack any country, but if America attacks or harms Iran, the Iranian nation will deliver a strong blow and any war started by America will spread across the region.”

Iranians living abroad staged large-scale rallies across major cities worldwide to show solidarity with protesters in Iran and condemn the Islamic Republic’s crackdown, Iran International reported.

Tens of thousands, including about 100,000 in Toronto alone, marched in cities across North America, Europe, and Australia, calling on the international community to take stronger “action against Tehran’s theocracy”.

Large numbers of demonstrators gathered in cities including London, Washington DC, Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Cologne, while earlier on Saturday, protests were held in London, Berlin, Paris, Hamburg, Stockholm, Dusseldorf, Manchester, Newcastle and numerous other locations, the outlet reported.