CloseIran says it now deems all EU militaries to be "terrorist groups", accusing Europe of "blind obedience to the Americans" at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.
The announcement comes after the EU declared Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard a terror group in response to its brutal and deadly crackdown on economic protesters.
Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, also a former Guard member, made the announcement in parliament, where lawmakers later chanted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!".
Tensions remain high in the Middle East as US president Donald Trump sent an "armada" of navy destroyers towards Iran, with the Islamic Republic also planning a military drill for Sunday and Monday in the region's strategic Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday, Iran was rocked by two explosions, though officials rushed to deny that any assassination attempt had taken place.
Four people were killed in a gas explosion at a residential building in Ahvaz, in the west of the country, according to the state-run Tehran Times.
And separately, a 4-year-old girl was killed, and 14 were injured as a second detonation shook the southern port of Bandar Abbas.
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Iran says it now considers all EU militaries to be terrorist groups
Iran's parliament speaker said today that the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups.
The speaker's comments come after Europe declared Tehran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard a terror group over its deadly crackdown on nationwide protests.
"By seeking to strike at the (Guard), which itself has been the greatest barrier to the spread of terrorism to Europe, Europeans have in fact shot themselves in the foot and, once again through blind obedience to the Americans, decided against the interests of their own people," the speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said.
Read moreVishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 07:03
In pictures: Buildings damaged by explosions in Iran from suspected gas leak
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 07:30
What do we know about Trump's 'armada' heading towards Iran?
Multiple reports suggest the US has built up a fleet of about 10 warships in and around the Middle East, including air craft carriers and navy destroyers.
The fleet is headed by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which has been deployed towards the Middle East.
It also includes the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) positioned near the Red Sea, along with three other destroyers and three littoral combat ships.
The carriers host stealth aircraft, including Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter jets and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets.
Trump said last week that the US fleet was "ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary".
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 07:00
Video: Thousands form human chain on Golden Gate Bridge calling for regime change in Iran
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 06:30
'Big powerful ships' heading towards Iran, Trump says
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One for an update on what he plans to do with Iran, the American president refused to give away specifics, but added that "very big powerful ships" were heading towards the Gulf.
"I certainly can't tell you that, but we do have very powerful ships heading in that direction," Trump said.
"But I hope they negotiate something that is acceptable," he added.
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 06:00
Iran's army chief warns US and Israel against attack
Iran's army chief Amir Hatami warned Israel and the US against attacking Tehran following Washington's deployment of its fleets in the Gulf.
"If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime," Hatami said, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.
The army chief said Iran's forces were "at full defensive and military readiness".
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 05:30
Top Iranian official says negotiations with US are progressing
A top Iranian national security official said in a post on X that negotiations with the United States are progressing even as tensions rise in the Middle East amid a buildup of American forces in the Gulf.
"Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing," said Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, without providing further details about the nature of the framework.
US president Donald Trump has also suggested Iran is negotiating with Washington.
“[Iran is] talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something; otherwise, we’ll see what happens… We have a big fleet heading out there,” Trump told Fox News.
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 05:00
Thousands form human chain on Golden Gate Bridge in solidarity with Iranians
Thousands of people gathered on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to form a human chain, showing support for the people of Iran amid Tehran's brutal crackdown on protesters calling for regime change.
Witnesses say there were likely over 20,000 protesters forming the human chain for Iran, covering the entire length of the bridge.
Protesters are calling for greater international pressure on the Iranian regime to end violence and political repression.
Similar protests were organised in 2022 on the bridge following the in-custody death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish womanMahsa Amini, who had been detained by Iran's "morality police" for “improper wearing of the hijab”.
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 04:30
Trump urges India to buy oil from Venezuela instead of Iran
The US president has suggested that there is a deal in progress with India to buy oil from Venezuela instead of Iran.
"We've already made that deal, the concept of the deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Until 2018, Tehran was one of New Delhi's largest suppliers of crude oil, with imports hitting a peak of about $12bn, but threats of sanctions have significantly reduced its crude imports from Iran.
Currently, Iranian oil accounts for about 0.04 per cent of India’s total crude imports, with an estimated value of about $70m.
Vishwam Sankaran1 February 2026 04:00
Deal with Iran to give up nuclear weapons 'would be satisfactory', Trump says
After reiterating that the US has dispatched its "armada" to the Middle East, US president Donald Trump said he hoped Iran's leadership negotiated "something that’s acceptable".
Asked if failing to strike would embolden Iran, he said, “Some people think that. Some people don’t.”
“You could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons… They should do that, but I don’t know that they will. They are talking to us – seriously talking,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
