Protests took place on the Greek island of Crete late on Tuesday after the arrival of a US aircraft carrier, which is a part of the fleet that President Donald Trump has called to the Middle East amid growing tensions with Iran.

The peaceful rally, backed by the Greek Communist Party, was held in the nearby port city of Chania. Protesters held up individual placards with letters spelling out “Killers” in English, the Associated Press reported.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that the people are “dissatisfied with us, and they are right”.

“It is unacceptable for us to hold responsibility, have people dissatisfied with us, and still claim to be Muslims,” he added.

Amid growing concerns of a wider regional conflict in Iran, Lebanon’s foreign minister on Tuesday said his country fears its infrastructure could be hit by Israeli strikes.

“There are signs that the Israelis could strike very hard in the event of an escalation, potentially including strategic infrastructure such as the airport,” foreign minister Youssef Raggi told reporters in Geneva.

Ahead of a fresh round of talks with the US in Geneva this week, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that a nuclear deal was “within reach”.

“We have a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests,” said Araghchi in a post on X. He added that a deal was “within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority”.

Iranian deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday that Iran is ready to take any necessary steps to reach a deal with the US.

The latest remark comes as the two countries are set to resume talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday.

“We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make this happen. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete honesty and good faith,” Takht-Ravanchi was quoted as saying by state media.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran is ready to take any necessary steps to reach a deal with the United States, Iranian deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday. The fresh rounds of talks are set to take place on Thursday in Geneva.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: US Congressman Mike Lawler cautioned that attempts in Congress to curb US President Donald Trump’s power to take military action against Iran would be risky.

Speaking to CNN, Lawler described Iran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and argued that the US president, as commander-in-chief, must retain the ability to safeguard US security and interests both domestically and overseas.

He said restricting that authority would be dangerous and inconsistent with positions Democrats have supported in the past.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran’s deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Tehran is willing to take any necessary steps to reach an agreement with the US and expressed hope that Washington would show similar intent.

He also warned that a US strike on Iran would be a “real gamble.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to brief senior lawmakers at the White House on Tuesday on Iran, as the administration considers potential strikes, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the meeting.

The briefing is expected to include House and Senate leaders, along with the top members of the intelligence committees, and will take place just hours before US President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: An Iranian military helicopter crashed into a fruit and vegetable market in central Iran on Tuesday, killing at least four people, state media reported.

The incident occurred in Dorcheh, about 330 kilometers south of Tehran, in Isfahan province. The region hosts a major air base and a nuclear facility.

State television said the helicopter was on a training mission. The pilot and co-pilot were among those killed.

Footage aired by the broadcaster showed smoke and scattered debris at the crash site.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: US military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, describing it as the third such interdiction.

The US Department of Defense said on X that American forces boarded the tanker Bertha overnight without incident, alleging that the vessel was operating in violation of Iran-related sanctions and President Donald Trump’s quarantine of sanctioned ships in the Caribbean.

The Bertha, sailing under the Cook Islands flag and linked to Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited, has been under sanctions since January 2020, according to the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The Pentagon said US forces monitored the vessel’s journey from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean before stopping it.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump prefers diplomacy as the primary approach towards Iran but is prepared to use lethal force if required, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The US has deployed more than 150 military aircraft to bases across Europe and the Middle East in recent days, according to a Washington Post report citing satellite imagery and flight-tracking data, following the collapse of nuclear negotiations with Iran last week.

The reported buildup includes cargo planes, aerial refueling tankers and combat jets, marking one of the largest US force movements in the region in over two decades.

The report also said the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford was operating near Crete, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln, as US President Donald Trump reiterated warnings of potential military action if no agreement is reached on Iran’s nuclear programme.

US defence officials confirmed an increased flow of forces but declined to provide further operational details, the report said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: An Iranian revolutionary court has sentenced a man to death on charges of “enmity against God”, according to a Reuters report.

This is the first such ruling connected to the mass protests that erupted in January.

The sentence marks a significant escalation in the authorities’ response to the unrest.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have begun military exercises along the country’s southern shores of the Gulf, state media reported Tuesday.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran is nearing a deal with China to acquire advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, according to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations, in a move that could sharpen tensions as the United States expands its naval deployment near Iranian waters, according to a Reuters report.

The agreement, which involves the Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic missiles, is said to be close to finalisation, though a delivery timeline has not yet been determined.

With a reported range of roughly 290 kilometres, the missiles are designed to fly low and at high speed to evade shipborne defence systems. Analysts say their induction would markedly strengthen Iran’s maritime strike capabilities and heighten risks for U.S. naval assets operating in the region.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran must be fully prepared for war to prevent conflict, former Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast said, as Tehran readies for a third round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States in Geneva on Thursday.

Mehmanparast said Iran remained open to a fair and respectful agreement and that “the ball is in the Americans’ court,” while dismissing the notion that military threats could force Tehran into concessions.

“If we want war not to happen, we must be 100% ready for war,” he said, adding that Iran’s armed forces were at their highest level of readiness and that the country would not yield under pressure.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Students at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tehran chanted “Khamenei is a killer” during a rally on Tuesday, according to video obtained by Iran International.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Israeli intelligence has assessed that the United States would be capable of sustaining four to five days of high-intensity aerial strikes on Iran, or roughly a week of lower-intensity operations, according to a Financial Times report citing an Israeli intelligence official.

The assessment, the report said, takes into account the expected arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Security forces deployed tear gas against students inside the lobby of the Vanak campus of Khajeh Nasir University of Technology in Tehran, according to the university’s newsletter.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Retired General Jack Keane said Monday that the US and Israel are at a pivotal moment in dealing with Iran, arguing that negotiations would prolong the survival of a government he described as weakened and fragile.

Speaking to Fox News, the former US Army vice chief of staff said Washington should avoid actions that might “extend the life” of Iran’s leadership, claiming current conditions present a rare chance to set the stage for potential regime collapse.

Keane also accused Tehran of deceiving the US for decades and warned that renewed talks would offer Iranian authorities a “lifeline.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: India’s foreign ministry on Monday urged its citizens to leave Iran, against a backdrop of fears of a possible US strike on Tehran.

Earlier, Serbia also issued a similar advisory urging citizens to leave Iran, citing the “deteriorating security situation.” Separately, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard noted on X her “strong appeal addressed to Swedish citizens who are in Iran to leave”.

Other than these, Australia and Poland has also advised caution for its citizens in Iran.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: University students have the right to protest but everyone must “understand the red lines”, the Iranian government’s spokeswoman said Tuesday in the first official reaction to renewed protests on campuses since the weekend.

“Sanctities and the flag are two examples of these red lines that we must protect and not cross or deviate from, even at the height of anger,” Fatemeh Mohajerani said. (AFP)

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: On fresh ‘leave Iran by available means’ advisory issued by India amid US strike fears, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah says, “I want to tell the children of Jammu and Kashmir to leave immediately. Otherwise, tomorrow when the airspace is closed, their parents and families will raise concerns and panic. It is better to leave before that situation arises, because later there may be no one to evacuate them. Since the advisory has already been issued, they should pack up and return home.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Amid the ongoing protests across several universities in Iran, the country said that students have the right to protest but they must know ‘red lines’, reported news agency AFP.