Breaking News:Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: State Department pulls non-essential diplomats from Lebanon as conflict with Tehran soars– What Just Happened

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, on Monday called for countries to maintain peace and justice amid tensions with the US.

“We call upon all nations committed to peace and justice to take meaningful steps to prevent further escalation,” AFP quoted Gharibabadi as saying.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The United States will resume nuclear talks with Iran on Thursday, a US official confirmed to AFP, as Washington continues its huge military build-up to put pressure on Tehran.

The US official, speaking on Monday, did not give further details. Iran said on Sunday that the talks were expected to happen on Thursday in Geneva, as did regional mediator Oman.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to travel to Geneva this week for more US-Iran talks amid a fragile diplomatic effort as regional tensions escalate and the threat of US airstrikes lingers.

President Donald Trump’s special envoy and son-in-law will attend the latest round of Iran negotiations Thursday, people familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned of a wider escalation if his country was attacked, after US President Donald Trump raised the threat of strikes.

“We call upon all nations committed to peace and justice to take meaningful steps to prevent further escalation,” Gharibabadi said at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: A London-based Persian language channel on Monday said it had been forced to suspend live broadcasts after UK counter-terror police alerted its landlord to a potential threat from Tehran, AFP reported.

Manoto TV, which launched in 2010 and is an opposition channel popular with the Iranian diaspora, said the temporary suspension came as Iran faced one of the “most sensitive moments” in its history.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iranian students defied authorities with protests for a third day on Monday, weeks after security forces crushed mass unrest with thousands killed.

State media outlets reported students chanting anti-government slogans at Tehran University, burning flags at the all-women al-Zahra University, and scuffles at Amir Kabir University, all located in the capital.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran said Monday that a US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic Republic to respond “ferociously”, after President Donald Trump said he was considering limited strikes against the country.

“And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defence ferociously, so that’s what we would do,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran, AFP reported.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Gold rose to a three-week high on Monday, fueled by a fresh wave of safe-haven demand on uncertainty over US Iran conflict.

Spot gold was up 0.9% at $5,150.59 per ounce by 09:08 am, having hit its highest since January 30 earlier in the session.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The United States and Iran will hold their next round of nuclear talks Thursday in Geneva, Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi confirmed.

• Amid growing fears of a military escalation between Iran and the US, India has urged its nationals in Iran to leave the country.
• In its latest warning against a possible US attack, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has reportedly said that any form of attack would be considered an “act of aggression”.
• An anonymous text message was sent to people across Iran on Monday saying, “The US president is a man of action. Wait and see.”
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may push back a trip to Israel in which he is expected to speak about potential strikes on Iran.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut.

“We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel,” a senior State Department official told Reuters.

“The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens,” the official said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may push back a trip to Israel in which he is expected to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about potential strikes on Iran, AFPP reported.

“Secretary Rubio is still planning to travel to Israel but the schedule remains subject to change,” a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The US State Department on Monday ordered non-essential US diplomats and their families to leave Lebanon as tensions with Iran soared.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is expected to arrive in Muscat on Tuesday carrying Tehran’s response on its nuclear file, Iran International reported.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said reports of Larijani’s trip to Oman needed to be verified and that he had no information about such a visit.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: The biggest US troop deployment in the Middle East since the Iraq War is sending the black market price for Elon Musk’s Starlink terminals soaring in Iran, where people fear a war would trigger another countrywide internet shutdown, Bloomberg reported.

Prices for the smuggled kits, banned by the regime for enabling uncensored web access, have soared to as much as $4,000. Prior to the Iran-Israel war in June last year, the same units sold for $700 to $1,000.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: An anonymous text message was sent to people across Iran on Monday saying, “The US president is a man of action. Wait and see,” Iran International reported, citing state media.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Ahead of talks in Geneva scheduled for February 26, in a social media post, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the previous talks “yielded encouraging signals”, reported AFP

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis this week to reassert the Trump administration’s interests in the Western Hemisphere amid Trump’s threats to attack Iran.

Rubio will make a one-day visit to St. Kitts on Wednesday to participate in a summit of leaders from the Caribbean Community, the State Department said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iraq’s premiership candidate, Nouri al-Maliki, told AFP on Monday that if he becomes prime minister, he would not allow attacks on diplomatic missions in Iraq, after the United States threatened strikes on Iran.

“All countries can be assured that we will prevent any violation against their embassies or officially recognised interests in Iraq,” Maliki said.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that he is likely to meet with a US delegation in Geneva on Thursday and that the country is working on draft proposal to be presented to the American side.

“We are still working on that, and we are trying to make it something which consists of elements which can accommodate both sides’ concerns and interests. And we are working on those elements, and I believe that when we meet probably this Thursday in Geneva again” said Araghchi on the CBS interview.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran on Monday said that it does not support an interim agreement in talks with the United States and is seeking a swift, result-oriented deal focused on lifting sanctions and addressing nuclear issues.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said speculation about a temporary arrangement had no basis, adding that details of any agreement would be decided only at the negotiating table.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Diplomatic tensions between the US and Iran escalated in January after Trump condemned and vowed action against the Iranian regime for its crackdown on protestors who were raising their voices against the country’s dwindling economy.

While Iran says over 3,000 people died and blames foreign-backed “terrorists,” the US-based HRANA reports more than 7,000 deaths in the crackdown.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday said that Iran could be about “a week away” from producing industrial-grade bomb-making material.

Witkoff told Fox News in an interview that Iran has enriched uranium up to 60 per cent, which he argued exceeds levels needed for civilian nuclear purposes.

Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Arigachi said that if the US wants to find a resolution for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, the “only way is diplomacy.”

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Iran said Monday that a US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic Republic to respond “ferociously”, after President Donald Trump said he was considering limited strikes against the country.

“And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defence ferociously, so that’s what we would do,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran, AFP reported.

Iran-US tensions LIVE updates: Amid widespread protests and rallies against the government, the Sharif University of Technology in Iran has reportedly warned students that legal authorities could intervene. The president of the University said that some could face entry bans if demonstrations continue, Iran International reported.

Masoud Tajrishi reportedly told students the gatherings were “illegal” and said: “The prosecutor has said this is not only a university matter and that we must step in.”

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