Iranians worry over American military buildup as final round of talks nears

As the United States assembles its greatest military firepower in decades in the Middle East, Iranians are warily awaiting the next round of talks with the US in Geneva this week-negotiations that many see as a last chance for their ruling theocracy to strike a deal with US President Donald Trump.

- JON GAMBRELL

Some say the situation feels hopeless. Battered by decades of sanctions, heightened by Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers, Iranians also just suffered through the bloodiest crackdown on dissent in the country's modern history.

Still, Iran heads into the Thursday talks "with a determination to achieve a fair and equitable dealin the shortest possible time," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted Tuesday on X.

As Iranians await the outcome of the Geneva negotiations, many fear the outbreak of a war that could surpass Iran's bloody 1980s conflict with Iraq.

That conflict sparked a patriotic response from Iranian volunteers. But now the prospects of a war with the US have riven a population that includes hardline supporters of the theocracy and those who feel Iran is splitting at the seams, especially after it is still reeling from a devastating 12-day war with Israel in June and thousands of people killed and arrested during last month's protests.

Trump said at least 32,000 people were killed in the protests, which is at the further end of estimates over the death toll. The US-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 offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed.

"Every morning when I get up, my brain is full of chaos," said Sepideh Bafarani, a 29-year-old woman who works in a women's clothing store. "It's a possible war... and an ongoing bad economic situation."

Rasool Razzaghi, a 54-year-old resident in the capital, Tehran, shared similar concerns ahead of the talks.

"I predict that if both sides really mean what they are saying, a war will start," he said.

Trump's 'armada' is getting closer