The US fleet including several guided-missile destroyers are not yet in final position but are already in striking range of Iran. With no signs of a diplomatic breakthrough imminent, the Iranian stock market suffered a record daily fall on Monday. Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, claimed the US was trying to destroy Iran’s social cohesion before an attack. When they rush toward military and police centres to obtain weapons, it indicates that they are seeking to provoke a civil war. Many Iranians resent Trump’s failure so far to hold good on his promise to come to the help of the protesters.

Source: The Guardian January 27, 2026 07:20 UTC