Iran 'not afraid of words,' IRGC deputy says after Trump flags carrier movement

Turkey’s foreign minister said a US attack on Iran would be “wrong” and urged Washington and Tehran to pursue diplomacy despite rising military tensions.

“It’s wrong to start the war again,” Hakan Fidan told Al Jazeera, adding that Iran was “ready to negotiate” and calling for step-by-step engagement.

“My advice always to the American friends: close the files one by one with Iranians. Start with nuclear, close it, then the other, then the other,” he said.

“If you put them as a package all of them, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest,” Fidan added. “It sometimes might seem humiliating for them. It will be very difficult to explain to not only themselves, but also to the leadership.”

“I have not had any contact with Mr. Witkoff in recent days, and we have not requested negotiations,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday, according to state media.

Araghchi was responding to questions about possible message exchanges with Washington, denying reports of direct outreach to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

He added, however, that intermediaries remain active and that Tehran is in contact with mediating countries “holding consultations,” signaling that indirect channels are still in play even as Iran publicly plays down prospects for talks.

“Foreign terrorist organizers are NOT welcome in our country,” ICE wrote, announcing that Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani and Morteza Nasirikakolaki were returned to Iran over the weekend.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the three men as former IRGC members and said they were among 14 Iranian nationals on a deportation flight to Tehran, the first such flight since widespread anti-government protests in Iran were met with a deadly crackdown.

According to DHS, Mehrani and Khaledi entered the United States illegally in Southern California in 2024, while Nasirikakolaki entered illegally in November 2024 and was apprehended by Border Patrol near San Luis, Arizona. The White House said all individuals deported had final removal orders issued by a federal judge.

The IRGC is Iran’s elite military force, separate from the regular army and reporting directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The United States designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019, citing its role in supporting militant groups and carrying out operations targeting US interests and allies.

The deportations come amid sharply rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, as the Trump administration has signaled it is prepared to use military force if Iran continues executions and violent repression linked to nationwide protests. The United States has also stepped up its military presence in the region in recent weeks.

The United States has deported three former members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that were suspected of terrorism.

"Foreign terrorist organizers are NOT welcome in our country," US Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrote on X.

The Department of Homeland Security identified the men as Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani and Morteza Nasirikakolaki, and said they were among 14 Iranians on the first deportation flight to head back to Tehran since anti-government protests in Iran triggered a deadly crackdown.

DHS said Mehrani and Khaledi entered the United States illegally in Southern California in 2024, while Nasirikakolaki entered illegally in November 2024 and was encountered by Border Patrol near San Luis, Arizona.

Continue reading...

Turkish musician Aytac Dogan said he was mourning those killed in Iran’s street protests, writing that each life lost leaves silence inside him.

In a post shared with the hashtag Iran, the Turkish kanun virtuosos said his heart was with the people of Iran and that he shared their pain and grief.