The latest development comes days after US President Donald Trump said ships are being moved towards the region 'just in case' he decides to take action. In return, Iranian authorities warned its force is 'more ready than ever,

The wave of protests in Iran, which broke out on 28 December over the collapse of the rial currency and the rising cost of living, saw between 6,000 and as many as 30,000 people feared killed by the Tehran regime.

Iranian security forces allegedly killed amateur boxer Sepehr Ebrahimi during ongoing protests near Tehran. The death adds to Iran's rising protest toll of at least 6,126 people killed.

Just weeks after thousands of Iranians were killed in a brutal crackdown on dissent, life in the capital appeared to be back in full swing here on Tuesday. But the air of normality masks an uneasy truth – that many here feel trapped between the Iranian government’s rhetoric and US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action.

Massive protests rocked Iran in recent weeks but appear to have largely subsided after a brutal crackdown that has left at least 3,117 dead, according to official figures

Two U.S. sources familiar with the discussions said Trump wanted to create conditions for "regime change" after a crackdown crushed a nationwide protest movement earlier this month, killing thousands of people.

CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen reports from the Iranian capital where a bloody crackdown on protests left thousands dead earlier this month. CNN operates in Tehran only with government permission.

He went out for freedom,” said the cousin of one of those who was killed when Iranian authorities mounted a deadly crackdown on protests across the country.

The deployment of a US carrier strike group places overwhelming American firepower within striking distance of Iran, but it also raises the risk of confrontation in a region where miscalculation can spiral quickly.