Iran president vows defiance as protests build against regime amid US military build up

Anti-government protests are resurging crossed Iran, with videos showing students chanting slogans against the authorities arsenic atomic negotiations with the United States are acceptable to resume connected Thursday.

A video translated by Reuters showed demonstrators shouting "We’ll fight, we’ll die, we’ll reclaim Iran," reflecting increasing choler towards the country’s leadership.

The renewed unrest follows months of vexation implicit economical hardship, repression and erstwhile crackdowns, placing further home unit connected the authorities arsenic talks unfold. Analysts accidental the convergence of protests astatine home, subject unit overseas and a stalled diplomatic way has hardened rhetoric connected some sides alternatively than pushing them toward compromise.

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Military members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successful occidental Tehran, Iran (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Iranian regime, meanwhile, is striking a defiant tone. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would "not bow down" to unit tied to atomic negotiations, informing that outer coercion would not alteration Iran’s stance, according to Al Jazeera.

His remarks travel up of a caller circular of U.S.–Iran talks acceptable for Thursday successful Geneva, confirmed by Oman, which is mediating the discussions. The negotiations purpose to code Tehran’s atomic programme amid rising determination tensions, though large disputes stay implicit enrichment limits, sanctions alleviation and the scope of immoderate deal.

In a February code analyzed by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled retired abandoning uranium enrichment and rejected U.S. demands to see Iran’s ballistic rocket programme and determination proxy enactment successful negotiations. 

The analysis, authored by FDD probe expert Janatan Sayeh and Iran Program elder manager Behnam Ben Taleblu, noted that Khamenei has escalated attacks connected Washington’s leadership, calling President Donald Trump a "criminal" for backing Iranian protests and circulating rhetoric likening him to a tyrant.

US POSITIONS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, STRIKE PLATFORMS ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN TALKS SHIFT TO OMAN

Exercise aimed astatine assessing readiness and rehearsing responses to information threats comes arsenic 2nd circular of talks. ( Press Office of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the United States has expanded its subject beingness successful the Middle East portion signaling unit remains an option. The deployments person shaped some the code and urgency of the negotiations, reinforcing that diplomacy is unfolding nether the shadiness of imaginable escalation.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff warned Saturday that Iran could beryllium "a week away" from having "industrial-grade bomb-making material," citing enrichment levels helium said are approaching weapons capability.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses to the nationalist connected the juncture of the 47th day of the Iranian Revolution according to Iranian authorities tv successful Tehran, Iran connected February 9, 2026. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"It’s up to 60%," Witkoff said. "They’re astir apt a week distant from having industrial-grade bomb-making material." He made the remarks connected "My View with Lara Trump," describing the concern arsenic unsafe and accusing Iran of violating President Trump’s "zero enrichment" reddish line.

U.S. officials person warned that nonaccomplishment to scope an statement could trigger superior consequences, portion Tehran has signaled readiness to retaliate if attacked, reinforcing the consciousness that negotiations are taking spot nether aggravated pressure.

Reuters contributed to this report.