Iran president vows defiance as protests build against regime amid US military build up
Anti-government protests are resurging across Iran, with videos showing students chanting slogans against the regime as nuclear negotiations with the United States are set to resume on Thursday.
A video translated by Reuters showed demonstrators shouting ‘We’ll fight, we’ll die, we’ll reclaim Iran,’ reflecting growing anger towards the country’s leadership.
The renewed unrest follows months of frustration over economic hardship, repression and previous crackdowns, placing additional domestic pressure on the regime as talks unfold. Analysts say the convergence of protests at home, military pressure abroad and a stalled diplomatic track has hardened rhetoric on both sides rather than pushing them toward compromise.
The Iranian regime, meanwhile, is striking a defiant tone. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would ‘not bow down’ to pressure tied to nuclear negotiations, warning that external coercion would not change Iran’s stance, according to Al Jazeera.
His remarks come ahead of a new round of U.S.–Iran talks set for Thursday in Geneva, confirmed by Oman, which is mediating the discussions. The negotiations aim to address Tehran’s nuclear program amid rising regional tensions, though major disputes remain over enrichment limits, sanctions relief and the scope of any deal.
In a February speech analyzed by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment and rejected U.S. demands to include Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional proxy activity in negotiations.
The analysis, authored by FDD research analyst Janatan Sayeh and Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu, noted that Khamenei has escalated attacks on Washington’s leadership, calling President Donald Trump a ‘criminal’ for backing Iranian protests and circulating rhetoric likening him to a tyrant.
Meanwhile, the United States has expanded its military presence in the Middle East while signaling force remains an option. The deployments have shaped both the tone and urgency of the negotiations, reinforcing that diplomacy is unfolding under the shadow of potential escalation.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff warned Saturday that Iran could be ‘a week away’ from having ‘industrial-grade bomb-making material,’ citing enrichment levels he said are approaching weapons capability.
‘It’s up to 60%,’ Witkoff said. ‘They’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.’ He made the remarks on ‘My View with Lara Trump,’ describing the situation as dangerous and accusing Iran of violating President Trump’s ‘zero enrichment’ red line.
U.S. officials have warned that failure to reach an agreement could trigger serious consequences, while Tehran has signaled readiness to retaliate if attacked, reinforcing the sense that negotiations are taking place under intense pressure.
Reuters contributed to this report.
