Iran's foreign minister says his country does not want war with Israel or the U.S., but is ready to fight back if attacked

Iran's exiled crown prince wants Iranians to seize the momentum of mass protests, and one analyst believes it could prove a tipping point.

Protests in Iran sparked by economic woes have now gone nationwide in the Islamic Republic, activists said Thursday, signaling both their staying power and intensity as they challenge the country's theocracy.

Oil prices rose for a second day on Friday, set for their third weekly gain, on uncertainty about the future of supply from Venezuela and as Iranian unrest increases concerns about output there.

Tehran’s military chief warned that Iran is now far more prepared and stronger to face any attacks, threatening a “decisive response” to any action it considers a breach of sovereignty.View on euronew

Iran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials have increasingly threatened to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels prior to the U.S. attack in June, making it the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so.

Bazaars were shuttered and demonstrators met with violence from security forces amid rising anger about the country’s dire economic situation.

The protests are diffuse and largely leaderless, and the president's efforts at mediation — and the killings and arrests by security forces — haven't persuaded the demonstrators to stay off the streets.