It's a race against time to try to reach an agreement between Tehran and Washington, with the Americans ready for new talks on Thursday in Geneva.

Extreme tension continues to blow in Iran : not only because of the threat of a US attack, but also because internal opposition to the Ayatollahs' regime appears far from extinguished despite the brutal repression, with new protests erupting at universities. And while the White House is debating whether or not to attack , the regime is preparing to face the worst-case scenario. According to the New York Times, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has already given instructions and "issued directives" to designate the line of succession for the current leadership , even contemplating the possibility of his assassination and establishing "four levels of rotation" for all the most important military and political positions. Specifically, Khamenei has entrusted the task of "ensuring the survival of the Islamic Republic" to one of his most trusted men, National Security Chief Ali Larijani. Meanwhile, Tehran's armed forces are reportedly preparing to respond to any raids with the deployment of ballistic missile batteries capable of hitting both Israel and US bases in the Middle East.

Meanwhile , signals are emerging from the United States indicating a willingness to press ahead with negotiations . The Trump administration is reportedly ready for a new round of talks provided that Tehran delivers "a detailed proposal" for a nuclear deal by Tuesday. "There is a good chance of an agreement," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi commented, specifying that the talks could take place on Thursday. This appointment was confirmed a few hours later by Oman, the mediating country.

US sources emphasize that this could be Donald Trump's "last chance" to Tehran. And as is well known, the president has already deployed a massive force in the Middle East, with dozens of fighter jets, ships, and missile launchers ready to go into action at a moment's notice.