Anti-government protests are springing up again across the country, with videos showing students chanting slogans against the regime as nuclear negotiations with the United States are set to resume on Thursday.
A video translated by Reuters showed demonstrators shouting “We’ll fight, we’ll die, we’ll reclaim Iran,” indicating growing anger towards the country’s leadership.
The build-up of frustration over economic hardship, repression, and previous crackdowns is putting additional domestic pressure on the regime as the talks progress. Analysts say the combination of protests at home, military pressure abroad, and a stalled diplomatic track has made the rhetoric on both sides more rigid rather than leading them towards compromise.
The Iranian regime, meanwhile, is adopting a defiant stance. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would “not yield” to pressure related to nuclear negotiations, warning that external coercion would not change Iran’s position, according to Al Jazeera.
His comments come ahead of a new round of U.S.–Iran talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, confirmed by Oman, which is mediating the discussions. The negotiations aim to deal with Tehran’s nuclear program amid increasing regional tensions, although major disputes still exist over enrichment limits, sanctions relief, and the scope of any deal.
In a February speech analyzed by the [unidentified entity], Supreme Leader Ayatollah [name missing] ruled out giving up uranium enrichment and rejected U.S. demands to include Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional proxy activity in the negotiations.
The analysis, written by FDD research analyst Janatan Sayeh and Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu, noted that Khamenei has stepped up attacks on Washington’s leadership, calling President [name missing] a “criminal” for supporting Iranian protests and spreading rhetoric comparing him to a tyrant.
Meanwhile, the United States has made deployments in the Middle East while suggesting that force remains an option. The deployments have influenced both the tone and urgency of the negotiations, strengthening the idea that diplomacy is taking place under the threat of potential escalation.
Special envoy Steve [name missing] could be “about a week away” from having “industrial-grade bomb-making material,” citing enrichment levels he said are approaching weapons capability.
“It’s up to 60%,” Witkoff said. “They’re probably about a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.” He made the remarks on “My View with Lara Trump,” describing the situation as dangerous and accusing Iran of violating President Trump’s “zero enrichment” red line.
U.S. officials have warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to serious consequences, while Tehran has indicated its readiness to retaliate if attacked, intensifying the sense of [unclear “pressure” reference].
Reuters contributed to this report.
It should be noted that there were some parts in the original content that seemed incomplete or unclear (like the missing names in certain places), and this rephrased version tries to make sense of it as best as possible while adhering to the instructions.