Trump-Iran latest: US president hopeful of Tehran deal even as Khamenei warns of ‘regional war’ – UK Times

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.

The total number of confirmed deaths in Iran’s deadly crackdown has hit 6,713, while 17,091 cases are under investigation, according to US-based HRANA rights group.

Of those confirmed dead, 137 were under 18. Another 6,305 were reported as “protesters”, 214 were members of government-affiliated forces and 57 were “civilian, non-protesters”.

The number of injured civilians stands at 11,021, with 84 student arrests, 295 cases of forced confessions, and 11,028 summonses reported.

Matt Whitaker, the US representative to Nato, said that the Trump administration had given Iran an “ultimatum” and that the “ball is in [Iran’s] court”.

Speaking to Fox News, Mr Whitaker said that Donald Trump had been clear on his demands and would not be patient with Iran.

He said: “The president has been very clear on Iran, you can’t have a nuclear weapon, and you need to stop killing protesters in your streets, and that’s a pretty clear red line.

“President Trump is backing that up with this armada that is sitting off the coast of Iran and in the region, and so certainly that is a show of strength, but it is also an offering for Iran.”

Donald Trump has responded to comments from Iran’s leader that a US strike could cause a regional war, saying that if a deal wasn’t reached “we’ll find out whether or not he was right”.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned earlier on Sunday that any US attack would result in a “regional war” in the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters in response to the comments, President Trump said: “We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there.

“Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”

According to Donald Trump, Iran does “want to do a deal” which would, in theory, preserve the power of the present regime in return for ending its nuclear weapons programme. On the face of it, that is an offer that the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cannot refuse.

It is an offer that he cannot refuse, in the old mafiosi sense, because the overwhelming firepower available to the United States could destroy the current Iranian state. It is also an offer that, rationally, it would be wise for the regime to accept for the basic purposes of self-preservation.

After all, despite the president’s earlier vocal support for the Iranian protesters and promise that “help is coming”, the only tangible effect of US policy has been to deter the mass hangings of anti-regime Iranians arrested in the recent disturbances.

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’s parliament speaker said today that the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups.

The speaker’s comments come after Europe declared Tehran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard a terror group over its deadly crackdown on nationwide protests.

“By seeking to strike at the (Guard), which itself has been the greatest barrier to the spread of terrorism to Europe, Europeans have in fact shot themselves in the foot and, once again through blind obedience to the Americans, decided against the interests of their own people,” the speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said.

The total number of confirmed deaths in Iran’s deadly crackdown has hit 6,713, while 17,091 cases are under investigation, according to US-based HRANA rights group.

Of those confirmed dead, 137 were under 18. Another 6,305 were reported as “protesters”, 214 were members of government-affiliated forces and 57 were “civilian, non-protesters”.

The number of injured civilians stands at 11,021, with 84 student arrests, 295 cases of forced confessions, and 11,028 summonses reported.