Washington is intensifying pressure on Tehran ahead of fresh nuclear negotiations, pairing diplomatic outreach with a major military buildup in the region.
Iranian state media reported that student protests took place over the weekend at five universities in Tehran and another in Mashhad, with additional demonstrations surfacing Monday. A widely shared video verified by NBC News showed large crowds gathered outside Amir Kabir University of Technology in the capital. Although the footage began circulating only on Sunday, its exact recording date could not be confirmed.
These demonstrations are the first reported since last month’s nationwide unrest, which rights groups say left thousands dead after a harsh crackdown. The protests marked the most significant wave of domestic dissent in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Following those events, the United States kept the possibility of military action on the table even while pursuing negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. President Donald Trump has continued to signal openness to diplomacy while simultaneously deploying a formidable concentration of military assets across the Middle East.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Saturday that the president was puzzled by Iran’s response to the buildup. “He’s curious as to why they haven’t — I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated’ — but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff said during an appearance on Fox News’ My View with Lara Trump. He added, “Why under this sort of pressure, with the amount of sea power, naval power that we have over there, why they haven’t come to us and said, ‘We profess that we don’t want a weapon’?”
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is currently heading to the region and will become the second American carrier stationed there, joining a growing deployment that includes air defence systems, warships and submarines. A senior administration official told NBC News that officials indicated last week all necessary US forces for potential action could be in place by mid March, though Trump has suggested action could come sooner.
New negotiations are scheduled for Thursday, according to the country mediating earlier rounds of indirect talks. Oman’s foreign minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed on X that discussions would be held in Geneva “with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a cautiously hopeful tone Sunday, saying the latest discussions had “yielded encouraging signals.” He wrote on X that “Iran is committed to peace and stability in the region,” while warning that Tehran continues to “closely monitor U.S. actions and have made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario.”
At a press conference Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted the country would not bow to threats and would remain firm in defending its interests. He stressed that there is “no such thing as a limited attack,” after Trump indicated he was weighing a narrower strike to pressure Tehran into concessions. Any “act of aggression” would draw a strong response, Araghchi said, adding that even as talks continue, Iran’s military forces will remain on heightened alert.
In a separate interview aired Sunday on CBS’ Face The Nation, Araghchi said another meeting would “probably” take place Thursday and expressed hope that negotiators could reach a “fast deal.”
