Whether Trump ultimately becomes the most consequential U.S. president for Iran since Jimmy Carter or merely an accelerant of instability will hinge on whether his administration can move beyond improvisation and develop a coherent strategy.

But the killings on the streets of Iran will not bring stability; they will only bring more division and more hatred. By violently repressing protests, Iran’s government is creating conditions that breed the exact social and political collapse it claims to be trying to avoid.

Our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,” Abbas Araghchi wrote in an op-ed.

EU foreign ministers have agreed to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, after years of pressure from within and outside the bloc to blacklist the elite force.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there were signs that Israel was still seeking an opportunity to attack Iran, warning such a move could further destabilise the region.