Iran has warned that any United States military attack on its territory could ignite a wider regional conflict, amid soaring tensions over protests, sanctions and stalled nuclear talks.
The warning came as Tehran responded angrily to a recent move by the European Union to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. In retaliation, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf announced that Iran now considers EU armies to be “terrorist groups” and is weighing the expulsion of European military attachés.
The United States has significantly reinforced its naval presence in the Middle East in recent weeks, deploying an aircraft carrier, six destroyers and three littoral combat ships to the region after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened intervention if Iran refused a nuclear deal or continued its deadly crackdown on protesters.
Despite the heated rhetoric, both Washington and Tehran have signalled openness to fresh negotiations. Trump told reporters that Iran was “seriously talking” with the US and said a deal “with no nuclear weapons” was possible, while senior Iranian official Ali Larijani wrote on X that arrangements for talks were underway, stressing Tehran’s readiness for “fair” negotiations that do not weaken its defence capabilities.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed US naval deployments as psychological pressure, saying the Iranian people would not be intimidated. “We are not the initiators and do not want to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will strike a strong blow against anyone who attacks and harasses them,” he was quoted as saying on state media.
The backdrop to the standoff is Iran’s harsh suppression of nationwide protests that began over economic hardship and evolved into one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since 1979. Official figures put the death toll at 3,117, while US based rights group HRANA says it has verified 6,713 deaths, though the numbers cannot be independently confirmed.
After the EU’s IRGC decision, Iranian lawmakers appeared in parliament wearing Guard uniforms in solidarity, chanting “Death to America, Shame on you Europe” as Qalijaf accused Europe of “shooting itself in the foot” by targeting the elite force.
Analysts say the combination of sanctions, protests, military posturing and tit for tat “terrorist” designations has raised the risk of miscalculation, even as both sides publicly keep the door open to diplomacy.
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US waives Iran sanctions as Trump warns Tehran
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February 1, 2026
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