Iran threatened Thursday to instantly strike US bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack, after US President Donald Trump warned time was running out for Tehran and the EU blacklisted its Revolutionary Guards as a terror group.

Militarily weakened but far from powerless, Iran retains tools that could widen a conflict and rattle global markets if Washington escalates.

US President Trump expressed a preference for diplomacy with Iran, despite bolstering US military presence in the Middle East. He reiterated demands for Tehran to abandon nuclear ambitions and cease killing protesters.

"I built (up) the military in my first term, and now we have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won't have to use it," Trump told reporters at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania.

There are currently around 35,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday (Jan 29) he planned to speak with Iran, even as the US dispatched another warship to the Middle East and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the military would be ready to carry out whatever the president decided.

Iran is on the edge as journalists warn footage emerging from Tehran shows scenes resembling a warzone, describing unarmed protesters shot dead during clashes with heavily armed security forces. BBC Persian correspondent Bahman Kalbasi said videos circulating from inside Iran were indistinguishable from battlefield footage,

Iran-US news live updates: US President Donald Trump is weighing an expanded set of military options against Iran, including possible commando operations at nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Iran security officials reportedly detained thousands of people to stop further protests.

US tensions, as Turkey's top diplomat meets with a US envoy ahead of the Iranian foreign minister's Friday visit to Turkey.

Iran vowed Thursday to conduct live-fire military drills in one of the world’s most vital sea passages — which sees 20% of the globe’s oil transports — next week, just two

Casualty estimates from Iran's protest crackdown range from 3,100 to over 30,000, with verification hampered by an internet shutdown. Human rights groups report thousands killed, including children. V