Iran's president has issued the clearest indication he'd like to enter renewed nuclear talks with the US and others.

But this comes amid mixed diplomatic messages, large anti-government protests, and maritime tensions.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that he'd instructed his foreign minister to "pursue fair and equitable negotiations" with the United States on some kind of nuclear accord to succeed the one President Donald Trump canceled in his first term.

Pezeshkian made no mention of the widespread unrest in Iran in recent weeks and his regime's sometimes violent crackdown, or the tensions with the US, which were further exemplified by small incidents at sea on later in the day.

The US, Arab states and Turkey have been pushing to arrange fresh talks with Iran amid the domestic protests.

Iranian Revolution: From Shah to Mullahs To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What Presidents Pezeshkian and Trump said about possible talks "I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency," Pezeshkian wrote in English on social media.

He said this was in light of "requests from friendly governments in the region for talks. "

The US, regional powers and at times European countries have been trying to push the government in Tehran into talks on and off for more than a year now.

Turkey had indicated a willingness to host the latest round.

On Monday, Trump had said that with large US warships heading to Iran, "bad things" would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.

The US president's messages to Iran have been somewhat mixed, with him on the one hand pushing for talks and a deal with the government, while also saying that "help is on the way" in messages addressed to protesters at the height of the public protests.

Iran protests: Exiled rapper begs for Donald Trump's help To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Tuesday that talks were scheduled for later in the week, echoing off the record comments from Turkish and Arab sources to news agencies.

Precise details on when or where were not forthcoming.

Maritime incidents off Iran's coastline raise tensions Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late on Tuesday that its forces had shot down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone that was approaching a US aircraft carrier in waters off Iran.

"An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board," US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement.

Shaheds are small drones typically used for intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance.

CENTCOM said the ship was some 800 kilometers (roughly 500 miles) off Iran's southern coast.

Later the same day, CENTCOM and maritime shipping agencies reported Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops harrassing a US-flagged merchant vessel, the Stena Imperative.

The military said two boats and drones approached the vessel "at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker. "

European IRGC terrorist designation upsets Tehran Iran's government was angered last week by the EU following through on a longstanding threat to designate the country's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

This decision was taken in no small part as the result of the repression of recent public protests and the reports of thousands being killed by Iranian security forces in the ensuing crackdown.

Communications are still stymied and reporters largely banned, but reports of at least isolated unrest persist.

Given that it sees the force as the primary branch of its regular military, the government in Tehran subsequently classified European armies as terrorist groups.

Who are Iran's Revolutionary Guards?

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

Highlighted sentences link to their corresponding claims. Click any highlighted sentence to jump to its detailed analysis.
Highlight Colors Indicate Claim Quality:
✓ Healthy Claim - No fallacies or contradictions detected
⚠️ Minor Issues - Has contradictions or minor fallacies
🚨 Serious Issues - Multiple contradictions or severe fallacies
Quality Criteria: Claims are evaluated for logical fallacies and contradictions with other news sources. Green highlights indicate healthy claims suitable for reference.
Source