Iran-US Tensions Highlights: Tehran warns US of strong retaliation in letter to UN chief

The United States on Friday pledged to keep imposing visa restrictions on individuals involved in violently repressing and censoring Iranians, Assistant Secretary posted on X.

​“The United States will continue to pursue visa restrictions for individuals who violently repress and censor Iranians seeking to exercise their freedom of expression,” Mora Namdar said.

Iran is holding onto its roughly 300 kg of 60 %‑enriched uranium and says it won’t ship it abroad, but it’s ready to dilute the material to 20 % or lower under IAEA supervision as part of a new proposal to the United States.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stresses that Washington hasn’t demanded Iran stop enrichment altogether only that the purity and number of centrifuges be limited. While earlier talks floated sending the stockpile to Russia or creating an overseas enrichment consortium, Tehran now says those ideas aren’t on the table.

The offer comes as US President Donald Trump weighs a potential naval strike in the region, making the dilution plan a key element of Iran’s counter‑proposal to defuse tensions. 

The United States is moving closer to a potential military confrontation with Iran, even as diplomatic efforts over Tehran’s nuclear programme falter. According to The New York Times and news agency Reuters, President Donald Trump is weighing options ranging from limited strikes to broader action, amid a sweeping US military deployment in the Middle East

In January, Trump said a US “armada” was heading toward Iran, comparing it to the swift American operation in Venezuela that he described as able to fulfill its mission “with speed and violence”. But experts caution that Iran presents a far more complex challenge than Venezuela, with greater military depth and the capacity to trigger a regional war.

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In a phone call on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty that Tehran is working to prepare a draft negotiating text for the ongoing indirect nuclear talks with Washington, emphasizing that the document will be built on “mutual respect and mutual interests.”

Araqchi added that the second round of Oman‑mediated talks in Geneva on February 17 was held in a serious atmosphere and proved more constructive than the first round. Abdelatty welcomed the diplomatic momentum and called for continued consultations to reach an acceptable framework for all parties.- Tasnim News.

US President Donald Trump warns that he’s “considering” limited military strikes on Iran, even as Tehran says it’s close to sending Washington a proposed nuclear deal, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Asked on Friday whether the United States could take limited military action while talks continue, Trump said, “I guess I can say I am considering that.” Hours later, he added that Iran “better negotiate a fair deal”.

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Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad stated that cooperation between Tehran and Washington in the oil and gas sector is possible in light of the ongoing nuclear negotiations, noting that it remains unclear whether such cooperation would become operational.

Asked about the odds of cooperation between Iran and the United States in the oil and gas sectors in view of the continuation of nuclear negotiations between the two countries, Paknejad said, “Everything is possible.”

The minister added that it is not yet clear whether oil and gas cooperation between the two sides would become operational at this stage.

Trump said a day earlier that 10 to 15 days should be enough time for Iran to reach a deal after recent indirect talks, including meetings in Geneva, showed little visible progress.

The negotiations follow years of deadlock after Trump withdrew the United States in 2018 from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Since then, Iran has refused to discuss wider US and Israeli demands, including limits on its missile programme and its ties with armed groups.

Araghchi said American officials have not asked for zero uranium enrichment in the latest talks, which differs from public statements by US officials.

Iran and the United States are sliding rapidly towards military conflict as hopes fade for a diplomatic solution to their standoff over Tehran's nuclear programme, officials on both sides and diplomats across the Gulf and Europe say.

Iran's Gulf neighbours and its enemy Israel now consider a conflict to be more likely than a settlement, these sources say, with Washington building up one of its biggest military deployments in the region since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

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ael's government believes Tehran and Washington are at an impasse and is making preparations for possible joint military action with the United States, though no decision has been made yet on whether to carry out such an operation, said a source familiar with the planning.-Reuters

The United States appears to be preparing for possible military action against Iran. In recent weeks, Washington has increased its military presence in the Middle East.

If talks fail and US President Donald Trump decides to order strikes, the consequences could spread across the region. In an analysis, the BBC says that while the likely targets of any US strike are known, “the outcome is not”.

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US President Donald Trump says he’ll decide on a US‑Iran deal within the next 10 days, noting talks are ongoing and a red line is clear: no nuclear weapon for Tehran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s live‑fire drills in the Strait of Hormuz have temporarily shut the key oil route, and Poland’s PM urged citizens to leave Iran immediately. The standoff leaves markets on edge as both sides weigh diplomacy versus escalation.