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Iran's apical diplomat said Sunday (February 22, 2026) that his state would onslaught backmost astatine U.S. interests successful West Asia successful the lawsuit of an attack, though helium inactive saw a accidental for a diplomatic resolution.
Speaking to U.S. broadcaster CBS, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said helium expected caller talks connected the details of a deal, "probably" Thursday, arsenic fears loomed of renewed struggle aft Washington carried retired a large redeployment of subject assets to the region.
U.S. threats of subject enactment person multiplied since a nationwide protestation question sparked a large crackdown that rights groups accidental killed thousands of people.
On Sunday, Iranian students held competing pro- and anti-government protests astatine respective universities, with critics of the clerical enactment risking apprehension oregon worse if they are caught.
"If the U.S. attacks us, past we person each close to support ourselves," Mr. Araghchi said, alluding to American interests successful the portion arsenic imaginable targets.
Still, helium said, "there is simply a bully accidental to person a diplomatic solution".
After a caller circular of talks successful Geneva, Iran said it was preparing a draught connection for an statement that would avert subject action.
"I judge that erstwhile we meet, astir apt this Thursday successful Geneva again, we tin enactment connected those elements and hole a bully substance and travel to a accelerated deal," Mr. Araghchi told CBS.
Axios had earlier reported, citing an unnamed elder U.S. official, that if Iran submitted its connection successful the adjacent 48 hours, Washington was acceptable to conscionable again aboriginal successful the week "to commencement elaborate negotiations".
The U.S. has sent 2 craft carriers to the West Asia successful caller weeks, on with different jets and ships, and has besides shored up its aerial defences successful the portion to backmost up its threats of subject intervention.
U.S. President Donald Trump's main West Asia negotiator Steve Witkoff said Saturday (February 21) successful a Fox News interrogation that the President was questioning wherefore Iran had not yet fixed successful to U.S. pressure.
"He's funny arsenic to wherefore they haven't... I don't privation to usage the connection 'capitulated', but wherefore they haven't capitulated," helium said.
"Why, nether this pressure, with the magnitude of seapower and naval powerfulness implicit there, wherefore haven't they travel to america and said, 'We profess we don't privation a weapon, truthful here's what we're prepared to do'?"
Western governments fearfulness Iran's atomic programme is aimed astatine processing a bomb, which Tehran has agelong denied, though it insists connected its close to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
On the taxable of enrichment, Mr. Araghchi said connected Sunday (February 22), "As a sovereign country, we person each close to determine for ourselves, by ourselves."
Fears of warfare
A erstwhile circular of diplomacy past twelvemonth was interrupted by Israel's bombing run against the Islamic republic. That sparked a 12-day struggle successful June that the US concisely joined with strikes connected atomic facilities.
Despite the caller Oman-mediated talks, Iranians' fears of a caller struggle person grown.
"I don't slumber good astatine nighttime adjacent portion taking pills," Tehran nonmigratory Hamid told AFP, saying helium disquieted for his "family's health... my kids and grandchildren".
IT technician Mina Ahmadvand, 46, believes that "at this stage, warfare betwixt Iran and the US arsenic good arsenic Israel is inevitable and I've prepared myself for that eventuality".
"I don't privation warfare to happen, but 1 should not fool astir with the realities connected the ground."
The concerns person prompted respective overseas countries to impulse their citizens to permission Iran, including Sweden, Serbia, Poland and Australia, which warned "commercial flights are presently disposable but this could alteration quickly".
Protests
Iran has antecedently said that rapidly striking a woody is successful its interests if means alleviation from sanctions that person hamstrung its economy, which contributed to protests precocious past twelvemonth implicit the precocious outgo of living.
Those demonstrations rapidly expanded into wide anti-government protests that marked 1 of the largest challenges to the Islamic republic's enactment successful years, prompting a deadly crackdown by authorities that saw thousands killed, according to rights groups.
On Sunday, Iranian students gathered for caller pro- and anti-government rallies commemorating those killed pursuing akin gatherings the time before.
Local and diaspora media outlets reported demonstrations astatine aggregate Tehran universities, with immoderate participants waving the emblem of Iran's deposed monarchy, and others chanting "death to the shah", who was toppled by the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Trump had initially cheered connected the protesters, threatening to intervene connected their behalf amid the crackdown, but his threats soon shifted to Iran's atomic programme.
