US-Iran Tensions Highlights: Oman confirms US-Iran talks in Geneva on Thursday

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Several Iraq-based Kurdish-Iranian groups announced on Sunday a political coalition to seek the overthrow of Iran's Islamic republic and ultimately to secure Kurdish self-determination.

Amid the Iran-US conflict, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has issued directives to protect the Islamic Republic in the event of war or his assassination, according to a report by the New York Times, which cited six senior Iranian officials and members of the Revolutionary Guards.

Officials quoted in the NYT report say Ali Larijani, a close ally of Khamenei who currently serves as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, is widely considered the leading candidate to act as interim leader if Khamenei and other top officials are killed. Read more

US envoy Steve Witkoff said President Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not "capitulated" in the face of Washington's military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal, according to an interview aired Saturday.

In a Fox News interview with Trump's daughter-in-law Lara, which was taped on Thursday, Witkoff said the president was "curious" about Iran's position after he had warned them of severe consequences in the event they failed to strike a deal.

Anti-government protests continued for a second consecutive day across several university campuses in Iran's two largest cities, Tehran and Mashhad, New York Times reported, citing student groups and human rights organisations, even as authorities maintain a crackdown on dissent. The unrest comes amid growing concerns in Iran over the possibility of military conflict with the United States.

Iran and the United States will hold a third round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed.

And, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that technical details of a potential agreement were being prepared ahead of the talks.

“I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal,” Araghchi told CBS News.

Iran has indicated it is prepared to make concessions on its nuclear programme in talks with the United States in return for sanctions relief and recognition of its right to enrich uranium, according to a senior Iranian official cited by Reuters.

The development comes as Tehran seeks to avert the threat of potential U.S. military action and revive stalled diplomacy.

Oman’s foreign minister confirmed that US-Iran talks will take place in Geneva on Thursday.

Oman has been mediating between Washington and Tehran.

The upcoming talks are aimed at advancing negotiations toward a deal.

The minister said discussions are set with a “positive push” from both sides.

He added that efforts are focused on going the “extra mile” to finalise the agreement. (Reuters)

In an interview with CBS News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declined to speculate on whether President Trump plans to strike Iran.

Araghchi said resolving Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme is only possible through diplomacy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "...if they want to find a resolution for Iran's peaceful nuclear program, the only way is diplomacy. And we have proved this in the past, and I believe that still, there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution which is based on a win-win game, and a solution is at our reach. So there is no need for any military buildup. And military buildup cannot help it, and cannot pressurize us."

Potential US military strikes on Iran could include targeting specific individuals, according to a report by Reuters.

Regime change is also among the options being discussed during the planning stage, two US officials told Reuters.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity and said the options would depend on authorization from President Donald Trump.

The officials did not provide specific names.

The United States is prepared to hold another round of nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva on Friday — but only if Tehran submits a detailed draft proposal within the next 48 hours, according to a senior US official cited by Axios.

“If Iran gives a draft proposal, the U.S. is ready to meet in Geneva on Friday in order to start detailed negotiations to see if we can get a nuclear deal,” a senior US official told Axios on Sunday morning.

Following the ceasefire with Israel after 12-day war, Khamenei appointed Larijani to lead the Supreme National Security Council and created a National Defense Council headed by Adm. Ali Shamkhani to oversee wartime military affairs, according to the NYT.

Vali Nasr, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University, told the NYT that Khamenei is preparing for both succession and conflict. “Khamenei is dealing with the reality in front of him,” Nasr said.

“He is expecting to be a martyr and thinking, this is my system and legacy, and I will stand until the end. He is distributing power and preparing the state for the next big thing, both succession and war.”

Though not eligible to become supreme leader because he is not a senior Shiite cleric, Ali Larijani,secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is seen as the leading candidate to serve as interim leader if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials are killed, according to officials cited by the NYT.

He is part of Khamenei’s inner circle, which includes top military adviser Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and chief of staff Ali Asghar Hejazi, the news outlet said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has issued sweeping directives to safeguard the Islamic Republic in the event of war or his assassination, according to six senior Iranian officials and members of the Revolutionary Guards cited by The New York Times.

Khamenei has established four layers of succession for military and government posts that he personally appoints and instructed senior leaders to name up to four replacements, the officials told the NYT. He has also delegated authority to a small circle of trusted confidants to make key decisions if communication with him is severed or if he is killed.

While in hiding during a 12-day war with Israel last June, Khamenei named three potential successors, though their identities have not been made public, the outlet reported.

According to officials cited by New York Times, Iranian leaders also considering who would manage the country if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials were killed.

Khamenei's close ally Ali Larijani reportedly tops the list of potential interim leaders, followed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and former president Hassan Rouhani.

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared EU member states’ naval and air forces a “terrorist organisation” as a reciprocal move.

Tehran said the EU’s action against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is “contrary to fundamental principles and rules” of the United Nations Charter and international law.

The move follows the EU’s designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The Jerusalem Post, which cited a disclosure from The New York Times, highlighted a strong statement from the Iranian mission to the United Nations, warning that in the event of an American attack, “all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets.”

As reported by The Jerusalem Post, which cited a disclosure from The New York Times, relocating military personnel from several bases across the Middle East has been observed at US facilities in:

Bahrain

Iraq

Syria

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Jordan

United Arab Emirates

The United States has started relocating military personnel from several bases across the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran and fears of a wider conflict.

According to reporting cited by The Jerusalem Post, and information referenced from The New York Times, hundreds of service members have been transferred from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar following guidance from Pentagon officials.

US envoy Steve Witkoff speaking to Fox News interview, confirmed he met Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who has lived abroad since before the 1979 revolution.

“I met him at the direction of the president,” Witkoff said, without providing additional details.

“I think he's strong for his country, cares about his country. But this is going to be about President Trump's policies,” he added.

Pahlavi recently told a crowd in Munich that he was prepared to guide Iran toward a “secular democratic future,” following Trump’s remarks suggesting regime change would be preferable.

In a Fox News interview with Trump's daughter-in-law Lara, Witkoff said the US President was "curious" about Iran's position after he had warned them of severe consequences in the event they failed to strike a deal. "I don't want to use the word 'frustrated,' because he understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he's curious as to why they haven't... I don't want to use the word 'capitulated,' but why they haven't capitulated," he said.

Domestic macroeconomic data, the monthly F&O expiry, and global developments—including the fallout from Donald Trump’s tariff hike following a Supreme Court verdict—are expected to keep equity markets volatile in the coming week, analysts said.

They added that investor sentiment will also be shaped by foreign fund flows, evolving tensions between the United States and Iran, movements in crude oil prices, and broader global monetary cues.

John Kiriakou pointed out that although President Trump publicly granted Tehran a 10-day ultimatum to agree to a broad diplomatic deal, such public deadlines frequently serve as strategic diversions. Read here

The US military is stationing a vast array of forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, fighter jets and refueling tankers, mentioned a report by Bloomberg

Asian equities fell and oil rose to its highest level since August as escalating tensions in Iran weighed on sentiment.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped 0.5% — its first retreat in three days. South Korean shares bucked the broader weakness, rising 1.7% to extend their lead as the world’s best-performing market this year, reported Bloomberg.

Iran and the US have differing views over sanctions relief in talks to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday, adding that new talks were planned in early March as fears of a military confrontation grow.

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou has claimed that a final decision has been reached by the United States to initiate a military strike against Iran early next week.
Kiriakou made the comments on Julian Dorey Podcast, stating, “I have a friend, former CIA officer, who was at the White House this morning talking to his friends, and he says that a decision has been made to attack Iran on Monday or Tuesday,” reported PTI

President Donald Trump indicated that he is contemplating targeted military strikes to compel Iran to agree to a new nuclear deal, though experts warn that bombing the country could backfire and trigger further regional instability, according to Bloomberg.

A senior Iranian official has told Reuters that that the nation “will not hand over control of its oil and mineral resources to the US”