US Senator Ted Cruz said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has only one option, and that is to leave power.

“His regime is in tatters. He wants time to rebuild. I don’t think President Trump is going to fall for that. I think the only deal the ayatollah can make is to say, I’m out of here. Let me leave. Let me go to Russia. Let me go to somewhere else other than here,” Cruz said in an interview with Fox News.

“I believe there is no deal to be had in terms of the nuclear program,” Cruz said. He also said that Tehran had never agreed to “any place, anywhere, any time” inspections.

Iran-US tensions LIVE: Oil prices rose on Thursday as the U.S. and Iran attempted to ease a standoff in talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme while both sides heightened military activity in the key oil-producing region.

Brent futures climbed 23 cents, or 0.3% to $70.58 a barrel by 0735 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 25 cents, or 0.4%, to trade at $65.44 a barrel.

Both benchmarks settled more than 4% higher on Wednesday, posting their highest settlements since January 30, as traders priced in the risk of supply disruptions in the event of a conflict.

“Oil prices are rallying as the market becomes increasingly concerned over the potential for imminent U.S. action against Iran,” said ING analysts in a Thursday note. (Reuters)

The US has reportedly imposed visa restrictions on 18 Iranian officials and telecommunications industry leaders over their role in the violent crackdown on protests, the State Department said on Tuesday.

The restrictions are also imposed on immediate family members, bringing the total number targeted under the policy to 58, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said on Thursday that no country can deprive the Islamic Republic of its right to nuclear enrichment.

“The basis of the nuclear industry is enrichment. Whatever you want to do in the nuclear process, you need nuclear fuel,” Eslami said, according to a video by Etemad daily.

“Iran’s nuclear programme is proceeding according to the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and no country can deprive Iran of the right to peacefully benefit from this technology,” Eslami added.

An Iranian lawmaker said it would be good if negotiations could prevent war or at least delay its outbreak, Iran International reported. The lawmaker praised Iran’s negotiating team for its performance so far.

“It is good enough that war does not happen and that we can, through negotiations, push back the outbreak of war, and at least up to this moment, Iran’s negotiating team has been able to carry out this duty well,” Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani said.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any new US strike on Iran would have serious consequences, calling for restraint to find a solution to enable Tehran to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme.

In an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya television, Lavrov said, “The consequences are not good. There have already been strikes on Iran on nuclear sites under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency. From what we can judge there were real risks of a nuclear incident.”

“I am carefully watching reactions in the region from Arab countries, Gulf monarchies. No one wants an increase in tension. Everyone understands this is playing with fire,” he added.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned recently that even the strongest army in the world can be slapped in such a way that it cannot get back up.

“They keep saying we have sent an aircraft carrier toward Iran. Very well, an aircraft carrier is a dangerous device, but more dangerous than the carrier is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea,” he was quoted as saying by Iran International.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said recently that the US will never succeed in eliminating the Islamic Republic, warning that even the world’s strongest military can suffer major blows.

“The US president said in one of his recent remarks that for 47 years America has been unable to eliminate the Islamic Republic; he complained about it to his own people. For 47 years, America has not been able to eliminate the Islamic Republic. That is a good admission,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by Iran International on Tuesday.

“I say: You, too, will not be able to do this,” he added.

Satellite images published by Reuters on Wednesday showed Iran repairing and reinforcing key military and nuclear sites amid concerns of a US strike on the region.

A new facility at the Parchin military complex, covered with a concrete shield and soil, was seen in the images, while Isfahan nuclear site’s tunnel entrances have been backfilled.

Iran has issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), indicating planned rocket launches across parts of southern Iran on Thursday, Iran International reported.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck southern Iran, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said on Thursday.

The quake was at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Iran is reportedly expected to submit a written proposal to the US, addressing concerns in the nuclear standoff following the negotiations in Geneva, a senior US official told Reuters.

During discussions, Iran agreed to provide the proposal. “We are currently waiting for that from the Iranians,” the officials said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that Iran would be “very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with his administration”.

She also said that talks between the two sides in Geneva made progress, but the countries still stood “far apart” on certain issues.

“There was a little bit of progress made, but we are still far apart on some issues. We expect the Iranians to come back with the details in the next couple of weeks. The president will continue to watch how this plays out,” the press secretary said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly planning to travel to Israel next week to update Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Iran-US talks in Geneva, The Associated Press reported, citing two Trump administration officials.

Rubio is likely to meet Netanyahu on February 28.

On Wednesday, Trump again suggested that the United States might strike Iran. In a post on Truth Social, he warned Britain against ceding sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean and said that the archipelago’s Diego Garcia airbase might be needed if Iran fails to agree to a deal, “in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime”.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned that Washington would prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons “one way or the other”. He told reporters, “They’ve been very clear about what they would do with nuclear weapons. It’s entirely unacceptable.”

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stressing Tehran’s focus on “drafting an initial and coherent framework to advance future talks”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted on Wednesday that “we do not want war” but suggested that Tehran could not give in to US demands. “From the day I took office, I have believed that war must be set aside. But if they are going to try to impose their will on us, humiliate us and demand that we bow our heads at any cost, should we accept that?” he asked.

On Wednesday, Trump again suggested that the United States might strike Iran. In a post on Truth Social, he warned Britain against ceding sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean and said that the archipelago’s Diego Garcia airbase might be needed if Iran fails to agree to a deal, “in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime”.

The US military is reportedly prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend. However, President Donald Trump is yet to take a final call on whether he’ll authorise such actions, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The White House has reportedly been briefed that the military could be ready for an attack by the weekend. However, one source, cited by CNN, said that Trump has privately argued both for and against military action in Tehran. He has also polled advisers and allies on the best course of action.

“He is spending a lot of time thinking about this,” a source was quoted as saying.

The US military is reportedly significantly increasing the presence of its air and naval assets in the Middle East. The pieces are being moved into place to increase pressure on Tehran as terms of a nuclear deal were being discussed during the recent talks in Geneva, Switzerland, CNN reported, citing multiple sources.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier on Wednesday that while progress was made in the Geneva talks, the two nations continued to stand “far apart” on certain issues.