Iran police say 139 foreign nationals arrested over protests in Yazd

Iran’s police chief warned the United States on Tuesday against any attack, saying Iran’s forces were ready and would respond firmly to any "misstep".

“If the enemies make an error, they will regret it,” Ahmad Reza Radan said, according to state media.

Radan said Iran’s border forces were operating from a position of strength and were fully prepared, drawing on experience from past conflicts and security operations.

Talks between Iran and the United States in Istanbul this week aim to avoid conflict and de-escalate tensions, a regional official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several regional powers had also been invited, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

The official said the format of the meetings remained unclear but that the main meeting was expected on Friday, adding that starting dialogue was key to preventing further escalation.

France said ending Iran’s crackdown on its own people must come before any broader diplomacy, while reaffirming pressure on Tehran and support for talks on security issues, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday.

“The priority is first to put an end to this repression,” Barrot said in an interview on franceinfo. He said Iran must “free prisoners, restore communications and give freedom back to the Iranian people.”

Barrot said France did not seek to impose regime change from outside but was applying “maximum pressure” through sanctions so that “the Iranian people can take back control of their future,” comments he also made in an interview with La Dépêche du Midi.

He said Paris had sanctioned Iranian officials over missile transfers to Russia, what he called a policy of state hostage-taking, and the crackdown on protests, and backed listing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. “There cannot be impunity after mass crimes,” he said.

Barrot said France supported efforts by mediating countries to bring the United States and Iran to talks in Istanbul, adding that discussions should also address Iran’s nuclear program, missiles and support for armed groups in the region.

Any talks between Iran and the United States are unlikely to produce results and Washington’s recent military buildup is more a threat than a sign of imminent action, an Iranian lawmaker said.

Vahid Ahmadi, a member of parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, told the Didban Iran website that recent US troop movements were meant to apply pressure rather than signal an attack.

“The recent US military buildup is more a threat than something real,” Ahmadi said.

He warned that while Iran’s adversaries could still make moves, they were aware of Iran’s military strength and its warnings of a decisive response. He added that if a war were to break out, Iran would no longer observe previous restraints toward countries hosting US bases.

Iran’s judiciary said on Tuesday it had begun fast-track proceedings against actors and artists who supported protesters, with indictments issued in some cases.

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said cases against protesters had also been opened and that some had already led to charges.

“Details will be announced once investigations are completed,” he said.