EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Thursday to further respond to Iran’s brutal crackdown on protesters in recent weeks.

The bloc adopted new sanctions targeting individuals and entities involved in the violent crackdown and has now include the IRGC – the military group loyal to the Iranian regime – on its list of terrorist organisations.

“This will put them on the same footing with al-Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh [Isis],” the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as a terrorist.”

Our political correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

A US military destroyer has docked in the port of Eilat, the Israeli military said according to Ynet news website, as tensions between Washington and Iran heighten.

The news website said the destroyer's arrival at the southern port, on the Gulf of Aqaba and near Israel's southern border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, was pre-planned and part of cooperation between the Israeli and US militaries.

The US and Israeli militaries have not immediately responded to requests for comment.

Chaotic, unprincipled and dangerously effective, Donald Trump’s latest foreign policy move in Ukraine may secure a brief respite from Russian bombing in plunging temperatures that has left civilians freezing in their homes.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

A retired US admiral has argued that Iran is “buying time” following the recent protests, adding that the US will need to define its “mission objectives” clearly before any use of force.

"Iranian leadership is still just buying time after the huge recent protests, and high numbers of protesters that were killed by the regime. Khamenei and his lieutenants are more unpopular than ever,” argues professor Robert Murrett, who now works at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and as deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law.

He said the movement of US warships to the Middle East is “of some note, although there is already significant combat power in the region at this time."

Prof Murrett added: "Defining our mission objectives will be key for any use of force again Iran, that is, one which can credibly lead to meeting a strategic end state."

Iran’s foreign ministry has denounced the EU’s decision to blacklist Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organisation, saying the move was both “illegal” and “political”.

The ministry also said that designating a county’s official military institution as a “terrorist” organisation was a dangerous move.

According to Al Jazeera, the statement said: “The IRGC is a formal and lawful institution which, under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, plays a fundamental role in safeguarding national sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and in combating terrorism.”

Iran’s reaction to any US action will not be limited, an Iranian military spokesperson has warned.

A decisive response, he said, would be “delivered instantly”.

Speaking to Iranian state television, brigadier general Mohammad Akraminia said US aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities”.

Several US bases in the Gulf region are “within the range of our medium-range missiles”, he added according to Le Monde.

"If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines – carrying out a quick operation and then, two hours later, tweeting that the operation is over.”

Saudi Arabia’s defence minister Khalid bin Salman met with top Us officials in Washington DC as Arab nations make a last-ditch effort to de-escalate the tense situation between the US and Iran.

In a post on X, the defence minister said the meeting in the US was attended by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, defence minister, Pete Hegseth and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

He said the meeting was held to "review the strategic relations between our countries and explore prospects for enhancing our cooperation".

"We also discussed our efforts to advance regional and global peace and stability."

Iran has its ‘fingers on the trigger’ to respond to aggression from the United States, the country’s foreign minister warned, after Donald Trump threatened fresh military action over its nuclear programme.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump told Iran that “time is running out” to make a deal, and that the “next attack” by US forces will be “far worse” than previous strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last year. He added that a “massive armada” was on its way to the country in preparation for possible military action.

“Like with Venezuela, it [the armarda] is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary,” he wrote, adding it was “moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose”.

More here.