Senator Graham says Trump will deliver on his word to Iranian people

"I think regimes, including that one in Iran, have learned that when you start shooting people in the head with snipers, it's effective," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional hearing on Wednesday, estimating the death toll from Iran's crackdown on protestors this month was "in the thousands."

"I mean, it works, and they've done it, and it's horrifying," he added. "That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been, and the core problem they face, unlike the protests you saw in the past on some other topics, is that they don't have a way to address the core complaints of the protesters, which is that their economy is in collapse."

"The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future, because this regime, unless they are willing to change and/or leave, have no way of addressing the legitimate and consistent complaints of the people of Iran who deserve better," Rubio said.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Wednesday said there must be no impunity for those responsible for the crackdown in Iran and voiced support for new sanctions targeting those chiefly responsible.

"This repression has resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries and the arbitrary arrest of tens of thousands of people," Barrot said.

"It is essential to fight impunity for the perpetrators of this bloody repression," he added.

Egypt said on Wednesday it is seeking the release of four of its citizens detained by Iran after Tehran seized a tanker in the Persian Gulf last month on charges of carrying smuggled fuel.

Four Egyptian crew members are currently on board the vessel Reem alKhaleej at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Iran said last month it had seized a foreign oil tanker near the Iranian island of Qeshm carrying four million litres of smuggled fuel. It did not name the vessel or disclose its nationality, but said 16 foreign crew members had been detained on criminal charges.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday that Tehran was ready for dialogue based on mutual respect but would defend itself if pushed, responding to a social media post by US President Donald Trump about a US naval armada heading toward Iran.

“In the last time the US blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives,” the mission said in a post on X.

“Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests,” it said. “But if pushed, it will defend itself and respond like never before.”

The comments came after Trump wrote on Truth Social that a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was heading toward Iran and warned of a far worse attack if Tehran did not agree to a deal on nuclear weapons.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister said negotiations with the United States are not Tehran’s priority at present, while confirming that messages are being exchanged between the two sides.

Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran’s priority is “200 percent readiness to defend” the country and warned that any limited US attack would be met with “an appropriate response.”

He said no talks are currently underway, adding that even if Tehran and Washington were to sit at the negotiating table, Iran would not reduce its readiness for a possible war.