Iranian students chant anti-government slogans, as US threats loom

TALKS AND THREATS

Ever since the initial wave of protests, the United States and Iran have been trading threats of military action.

Trump sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, while a second, the USS Gerald R Ford, is en route via the Mediterranean.

The US has also redeployed dozens of other warplanes to the Middle East – where it maintains several bases – while boosting its air defences.

The build-up seeks to pressure Iran’s authorities as the two sides pursue nuclear talks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US media this week that following the latest round of negotiations in Geneva, Iran would be submitting a draft proposal for an agreement, saying it would be read in a matter of days.

Araghchi also said the “US side has not asked for zero enrichment” of uranium, contradicting statements from American officials.

Iran denies it is trying to produce nuclear weapons, but insists on its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.

The US media outlet Axios reported this week, citing an unnamed senior US official, that Washington was prepared to consider a proposed deal that only permitted “small, token enrichment”.