Senator Graham backs Iranian protesters, rejects nuclear deal

US Senator Lindsey Graham said protesters in Iran are seeking an end to the Islamic Republic rather than a renewed nuclear agreement, as he voiced support for ongoing demonstrations.

"The Iranian religious Nazi murderous regime and a fair nuclear deal do not go in the same sentence. The protestors who have been dying by the thousands are not seeking a fair nuclear deal for the ayatollah," Graham posted on X on Thursday.

"They are seeking to end the ayatollah’s repressive regime so they can have a life with freedom and without fear," he added. "Keep protesting, help is on the way."

Iran’s military warned on Wednesday that it would respond immediately to any new attack, saying military plans and orders were already in place to deal with a range of possible scenarios.

“If the enemy commits another foolish move and once again falls into miscalculation, we will respond to them immediately and in real time,” army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia was quoted as saying by state media.

"US aircraft carriers are seriously vulnerable to hypersonic missiles," he warned, asserting that "orders have been issued and the required plans have been prepared" for various scenarios.

The European Union will move rapidly to implement a legally binding designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, Germany’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, calling the decision long overdue.

In a statement issued on January 29, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the designation sent a strong political message and showed that the EU recognised the scale of repression inside Iran.

“The next step will be the rapid implementation towards a legally binding listing,” he said, adding that the bloc stood “side by side with the Iranian people” and opposed repression.

Wadephul accused the Revolutionary Guard and its auxiliary forces of attacking protesters with extreme violence, carrying out executions, and playing a destabilising role across the Middle East.

“In short, they have blood on their hands,” he added.

Prominent jailed Iranian dissident Mostafa Tajzadeh accused Iran’s rulers of ordering mass killings during January’s nationwide crackdown and then lying about the scale of the violence, saying the bloodshed was both predictable and preventable.

“I have no doubt that the official statistics and narrative of what happened this January are a brazen lie," he wrote in a letter from prison posted on Telegram by moderate outlet Saham News.

"Only the formation of an independent, national truth-finding committee can reveal the real dimensions of this crime,” he added.

Tajzadeh also accused Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of refusing to listen to society, clinging to monopolistic power, and turning politics into a battlefield.

Warning that Iran's current situation was "unsustainable," he argued that only responsible civic action and a historic national dialogue could prevent further catastrophe.

A number of Middle Eastern governments are trying to push the US and Iran into talks to avert a possible conflict, but the efforts have so far failed to gain traction, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone calls on Wednesday with Iran’s foreign minister and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but made no progress, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the conversations. Iran strongly objected to US terms and warned that targets across the region would be fair game in the event of a US strike, according to the report.

Efforts by Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia in recent days were similarly unsuccessful, the report added, citing people familiar with those outreach efforts.

Qatar and Oman also sought ways to revive the negotiations, including proposals for some form of nonaggression pact, but the efforts have not gained traction, the report added, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Turkey has also been urging Washington to negotiate with Iran to avert a conflict Ankara views as destabilizing, the report said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed a three-way meeting with the US and Iranian presidents during a call with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the report added citing an unnamed official briefed on the call.

Trump has received briefings on a range of military options against Iran developed jointly by the White House and the Pentagon, the report added, citing US officials.

Among the options presented to Trump is what officials described as a “big” plan that would involve striking “regime and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities in a large-scale bombing campaign,” according to the report.

Less extensive options include strikes on what officials described as “symbolic regime targets,” allowing room for escalation if Iran does not agree to end its nuclear work, as well as options such as cyberattacks on Iranian banks or tougher sanctions, the report added, citing the officials.