Iran protests LIVE: US says ‘all options on table’; moves military assets to Middle East, claims report

Turkey has said that it opposes any foreign military intervention in Iran, a remark that comes amid the threat of a military strike from the United States.

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan told reporters in Istanbul on Thursday, “We are against military intervention in Iran.”

“Iran must address its own internal problems…They must address their problems with the region and in global terms through diplomacy so that certain structural problems that cause economic problems can be addressed,” he added.

Europe’s largest airline group, Lufthansa, said on Thursday that it would halt night flights to and from Tel Aviv and Jordan’s capital, Amman, for five days, citing security concerns as fears grow that unrest in Iran could spiral into a wider conflict.

Lufthansa, which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, said it would operate flights only during daytime hours from Thursday through Monday “due to the current situation in the Middle East”.

The airline affirmed that this change in operations would ensure its staff would not be required to stay overnight in the region.

Lufthansa also said that its planes would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace, key corridors for air travel between the Middle East and Asia.

Iranian state media has denied claims that a young man, who was arrested during Iran’s recent protests, was condemned to death.

Iran’s judicial authorities, in a statement on Thursday, contradicted what it said were “opposition media abroad” which claimed the young man, Erfan Soltani, had been quickly sentenced to death during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.

Iranian judicial authorities reportedly said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. He has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime”, state media reported.

The G7 has warned of more sanctions against Iran amid the ongoing deadly crackdown on protests in the country.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union’s main foreign policy chief said the G7 members were “gravely concerned” by the developments surrounding the protests, and that they “strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities’ brutal repression of the Iranian people”.

It added that the G7 were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” and condemned “the deliberate use of violence” by Iranian security forces against protestors.

The G7 members “remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement added.

At least one US aircraft carrier is reportedly being moved toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to escalate, Fox News reported, citing military sources.

US military assets from air, land and sea are reportedly expected to flow into the region in the coming days and weeks to provide Trump with military options should he decide to carry out strikes against Iran.

Officials said the movements are a part of a process of “setting the force”, the Fox News report said.

Indian authorities are making preparations for the possible evacuation of Indian nationals from Iran because of the evolving situation in the country amid concerns of US military intervention, HT reported earlier, citing people familiar with the matter.

At present, the Indian embassy in Tehran is focused on ascertaining the number of Indian nationals wishing to return, but the nationwide internet shutdown in Iran is critically hindering contact with citizens.

There are about 10,000 Indians in Iran, many of whom are students. The people said that students will be the focus of any evacuation effort, though it was not immediately clear when the first repatriation flight would be operated.

White House on Thursday claimed that Iran halted 800 executions of the protestors under pressure from the US President Donald Trump.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also added that US military action also remains an option. “The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted,” she said.

“All options remain on the table for the president,” she said, adding that Trump had warned Tehran of “grave consequences” if the killing of demonstrators continued.

Deputy Iranian ambassador to the UN Gholam Hossein Darzi slammed the United States for what it claims is America’s “direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran to violence”.

“Under the hollow pretext of concern for the Iranian people and claims of support for human rights, the United States is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people — while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilisation and military intervention under a so-called ‘humanitarian’ narrative,” Darzi said during his statement.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the emergency meeting that the Iranian people are demanding their freedom like never before in the Islamic Republic’s history.

He delivered the message of the US at the UNSC and said, “President Donald J Trump and the United States of America stand by the brave people of Iran.”

“President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations,” Waltz said, adding that Trump “has made it clear, all options are on the table to stop the slaughter, and no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime”.