Iran Pushes Back Ahead of Trump Talks  02/25 06:16

   Iran pushed back Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump's pressure 
tactics ahead of critical talks in Geneva over Tehran's nuclear program, 
alternating between calling his remarks "big lies" to saying negotiations may 
yield an agreement through "honorable diplomacy."

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Iran pushed back Wednesday against U.S. 
President Donald Trump's pressure tactics ahead of critical talks in Geneva 
over Tehran's nuclear program, alternating between calling his remarks "big 
lies" to saying negotiations may yield an agreement through "honorable 
diplomacy."

   The remarks by two Iranian officials ahead of Thursday's talks come as 
America has assembled its biggest deployment of aircraft and warships to the 
Middle East in decades, part of Trump's efforts to get a deal while Iran 
struggles at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests last month.

   If the negotiations fail, Trump repeatedly has threatened to attack Iran -- 
something Mideast nations fear could spiral into a new regional war as the 
embers of the yearslong Israel-Hamas war still smolder. Already, Iran has said 
all U.S. military bases in the Mideast would be considered legitimate targets, 
putting at risk the tens of thousands of American service members in the region.

   Satellite photos shot Tuesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The 
Associated Press appeared to show American vessels typically docked in Bahrain, 
the home of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, all out at sea. The 5th Fleet referred 
questions to the U.S. military's Central Command, which did not immediately 
respond. Before Iran's attack on Qatar in June, the 5th Fleet similarly 
scattered its ships at sea to protect against a potential attack.

   Iran responds to Trump's State of the Union speech

   Trump on Tuesday night in the U.S. gave his annual State of the Union 
speech, touching on Iran and the nuclear negotiations.

   "They've already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases 
overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United 
States of America," Trump said. "They were warned to make no future attempts to 
rebuild their weapons program, and in particular nuclear weapons, yet they 
continue. They're starting it all over."

   Satellite photos earlier analyzed by the AP showed Iran beginning to rebuild 
its missile production sites and doing some work at the three nuclear sites 
attacked by the U.S. in June. Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is 
peaceful. The West and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran had a 
nuclear weapons program until 2003. It had been enriching uranium up to 60% 
purity before the June attack -- a short, technical step away from 
weapons-grade levels of 90%.

   Responding to Trump, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei 
sought to compare him to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister. 
He accused Trump and his administration of conducting a "disinformation & 
misinformation campaign" against Iran.

   "Whatever they're alleging in regards to Iran's nuclear program, Iran's 
ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January's unrest is 
simply the repetition of 'big lies,'" Baghaei wrote on X.

   Trump said in his speech at least 32,000 people were killed in the protests, 
which is at the further end of estimates offered by activists for the death 
toll. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency has so far counted more 
than 7,000 dead and believes the death toll is far higher. Iran's government, 
which long has downplayed death tolls in other unrest, offered its only toll on 
Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed.

   Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, separately said the U.S. 
could either try diplomacy or face Iran's wrath.

   "If you choose the table of diplomacy -- a diplomacy in which the dignity of 
the Iranian nation and mutual interests are respected -- we will also be at 
that table," Qalibaf said, according to the semiofficial Student News Network, 
a media outlet believed to be close to the all-volunteer Basij force of Iran's 
paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

   "But if you decide to repeat past experiences through deception, lies, 
flawed analysis and false information, and launch an attack in the midst of 
negotiations, you will undoubtedly taste the firm blow of the Iranian nation 
and the country's defensive forces."

   Talks hang in balance

   Iran and the U.S. are due to meet Thursday in Geneva, their third round of 
talks under the mediation of Oman, long an interlocutor between Tehran and the 
West.

   If the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible attack, 
as well as its mission and goals.

   The U.S. has not made clear the aims of possible military action. If the 
goal is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear negotiations, it's not 
clear whether limited strikes will work. If the goal is to remove Iran's 
leaders, that will likely commit the U.S. to a more massive, longer military 
campaign. There has been no public sign of planning for what would come next, 
including the potential for chaos in Iran.

   The status of Iran's nuclear program is another mystery. Trump earlier said 
American strikes "obliterated" it. Now, dismantling whatever remains of the 
program appears to be back on the administration's agenda. IAEA inspectors have 
not been allowed to inspect those sites and verify what remains.

   There is also uncertainty about what any military action could mean for the 
wider region. Tehran could retaliate against the American-allied nations of the 
Persian Gulf or Israel. Oil prices have risen in recent days in part due to 
those concerns.