CloseIran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian says he has directed his foreign minister to pursue negotiations only if they are “free from threats” ahead of the first meeting with Donald Trump’s envoy in Turkey.
The comments called for “fair and equitable negotiations” on Iran's nuclear programme, and represent the first clear and direct sign from Tehran's leadership that it is open to talks.
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is due to meet Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday for talks over a new nuclear deal. It would be the first meeting between senior US and Iranian officials since Tehran’s 12-day war with Israel and the US last June, which saw Washington bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Trump said late on Monday that the process of diplomatic negotiations with Iran was ongoing, even as he warned that “bad things” would happen if it failed.
The US president said the “biggest and the best” ships are heading to Iran right now and he will "see how it works out" when asked if Washington would take military action.
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Comment: In Iran, no one can breathe in this atmosphere of fear
When an authoritarian regime cannot punish the forces that exposed its weakness, it punishes the citizens who remind it of that humiliation instead, writes Hossein Dabbagh:
In Iran, no one can breathe in this atmosphere of fear
When an authoritarian regime cannot punish the forces that exposed its weakness, it punishes the citizens who remind it of that humiliation instead, writes Hossein DabbaghShweta Sharma3 February 2026 07:36
UAE calls on Iran to reach nuclear deal with US
The Middle East does not need another confrontation between the US and Iran, and Tehran should reach a nuclear deal with Washington, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said today.
Speaking at a panel at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Gargash said the region had already endured a series of “calamitous confrontations” and warned against further escalation.
“I don’t think we need another one, but I would like to see direct Iranian-American negotiations leading to understandings so that we don’t face these issues every other day,” he said.
His comments came as Iran and the United States said they would resume nuclear talks on Friday in Turkey.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 07:15
Iran says ‘war room’ is active and forces are ready to respond to any attack
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard aerospace commanders told lawmakers on Monday that the country’s “war room” is active and its forces are ready to respond immediately to any hostile action, according to a parliamentary spokesman.
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said a senior commander briefed the panel on regional developments, military deployments and the broader security situation.
The commander said Iran has extensive intelligence coverage of its adversaries and is closely monitoring their movements, with operational plans in place for any potential confrontation.
The briefing warned that any US attack would trigger a wider regional conflict, which the commander described as “the greatest advantage for us,” Rezaei said, adding that US military and economic interests across the region are within Iran’s operational range.
Commanders also cited Iran’s performance during a recent 12-day conflict, claiming its forces penetrated Israel’s missile defence systems with a success rate of more than 50%. They said Iran’s offensive and missile capabilities have since improved and exceed what has been publicly disclosed.
Rezaei said the briefing concluded that any hostile act would be met with a “decisive, crushing and regret-inducing” response, in line with orders from the Supreme Leader.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 07:00
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Egypt to attend talks in Istanbul
Officials from several regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt, are expected to attend a meeting in Istanbul on Friday, where Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is set to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff, Reuters reported, citing a senior regional diplomat.
Axios earlier reported that the Araghchi–Witkoff meeting would take place as part of efforts to explore a potential nuclear deal, a report later confirmed by Reuters citing a senior Iranian official.
Iran’s president has said he has directed his foreign minister to "pursue fair and equitable negotiations" in his meeting with Trump's envoy.
“The president has been calling for them to make a deal. The meeting is to hear what they have to say,” a US official told Reuters.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 06:45
Recap: Britain unveils new sanctions against regime
Britain on Monday imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Iranian officials and a state security body, targeting those it says enabled violent crackdowns on recent peaceful protests.
The foreign office announced sanctions on ten individuals and one organisation, the Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA), for “their role in recent brutality against protesters”.
The measures impose an asset freeze, a director disqualification sanction, and a travel ban on those designated.
“The Iranian people have shown extreme courage in the face of brutality and repression over recent weeks simply for exercising their right to peaceful protest," foreign minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 06:30
Iran says it will ‘pursue fair and equitable negotiations’ with US
Iran’s president says he has directed his foreign minister to "pursue fair and equitable negotiations" in his meeting with Trump's envoy.
Writing on X, Masoud Pezeshkian said in English and Farsi that the decision came after "requests from friendly governments in the region to respond to the proposal by the President of the United States for negotiations."
"I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists – one free from threats and unreasonable expectations – to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency," he said.
The comments mark a major turn for Pezeshkian, who has warned Iranians for weeks that the turmoil in his country had gone beyond his control.
It also signals that the president received support from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the talks, something that the 86-year-old cleric had previously dismissed.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 05:56
Iran fears US strike may reignite protests, imperil rule, sources say
Iran’s leadership fears that a US military strike could shatter its grip on power by driving an already furious public back onto the streets, following last month’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, according to six current and former officials.
In high-level meetings, officials warned supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that public anger has reached a point where fear is no longer a deterrent, and that even a limited US strike could embolden protesters and inflict lasting damage on the political system.
"An attack combined with demonstrations by angry people could lead to a collapse (of the ruling system). That is the main concern among the top officials and that is what our enemies want," said one official told Reuters.
Another former senior official said the mood in the country had shifted since the crackdown. “People are extremely angry. The wall of fear has collapsed,” he said.
Officials said many Iranians were prepared to confront security forces again, raising concerns that foreign pressure combined with renewed protests could trigger widespread unrest or even collapse.
While the streets remain quiet for now, insiders say grievances over repression, economic decline and corruption continue to simmer.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 05:00
Iran signals willingness to suspend nuclear programme in talks with US – report
Iran is willing to shut down or suspend its nuclear programme, a major concession to calm the situation with the US, two officials told the New York Times.
The unnamed officials said envoy Steve Witkoff would meet with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and the two are communicating directly through text messages.
But Iran would still prefer a proposal that the US made last year, to create a regional consortium to produce nuclear power, over shutting down its nuclear programme.
The officials said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, had recently met Russian president Vladimir Putin to deliver a message from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Iran could agree to ship its enriched uranium to Russia, as it did under the 2015 agreement.
When asked about it, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, said on Monday that “the topic has long been on the agenda,” adding that “Russia continues its efforts and contacts with all interested parties.”
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for energy generation, not weapons, and Mr Araghchi has said the country remains open to negotiations.
“We have never lost the opportunity to get the rights of Iranian people through diplomacy,” he told foreign ministry staff in a video shared on Monday on social media.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 04:30
Trump warns of 'bad things' if negotiations fail
US president Donald Trump said Monday that talks with Iran were ongoing amid high tensions.
“We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones – the biggest and the best – and we have talks going on with Iran and we’ll see how it all works out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“If we can work something out, that would be great and if we can’t, probably bad things would happen.
“I’d like to see a deal negotiated. I don’t know that that’s going to happen,” he added.
Shweta Sharma3 February 2026 04:00
Iranian protester found dead with bullet wounds after days missing
An Iranian protester who went missing earlier last month has been found dead in the cold storage of a cemetery, according to Iran International.
Reza Bahmani Alijanvand, 34, was allegedly shot dead by security forces, with bullets hitting his lower back and abdomen, it reported, citing sources.
His family searched hospitals, police stations and prisons across Isfahan province for five days before finding his body in cold storage at Bagh-e Rezvan cemetery on 13 January.
Authorities initially refused to release the body and sought to declare him a “martyr” – a move rejected by the family – before he was buried under heavy security in the early hours of 15 January in his hometown of Masjed Soleyman, with only five relatives present.
Last month, Iran International reported that more than 36,500 people were killed by security forces during the 8-9 January crackdown on nationwide protests.
