US Slams South Africa Over Iran's Role In Naval Drills
In other news, the United States has been taking South Africa to task for allowing Iran to take part in naval drills, saying it was "particularly unconscionable" that Pretoria has "welcomed Iranian security forces as they were shooting, jailing, and torturing Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity South Africans fought so hard to gain for themselves."
Bloomberg later reported that While local news media said South Africa had persuaded Iran to withdraw from exercises, even though, the country's National Defense Force’s had posted images of captains of participating vessels docked at a South African naval base with Iranian officials present.
The Will for Peace 2026 war games, which included the participation of Russia and China alongside Iran and South Africa, started on January 9 and were due to end on January 16, bringing together warships from several BRICS Plus countries in South African waters.
Filterbaan, an Iran-focused digital rights group tracking online censorship and communications restrictions in the country, says the current Internet shutdown in the country reflects a policy that has not been adopted solely to contain protests, but "is designed structurally to eliminate the ability to record, document, and disseminate violence."
New Zealand Temporarily Shuts Embassy In Tehran
New Zealand says it has temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran because of the "deteriorating security situation" in Iran.
The country's Foreign Ministry said on January 16 that diplomatic staff had left Iran safely on commercial flights overnight, and that the Tehran embassy's operations had been moved to Ankara in neighboring Turkey.
"We continue to advise against all travel to Iran. Any New Zealanders currently in the country should leave now," a spokesperson said.
On January 15, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country was "appalled" by Tehran's violent clampdown on widespread anti-government protests.
"We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran's security forces, including the killing of protesters," he said in a statement. "Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information -- and that right is currently being brutally repressed."
He added that Wellington had expressed its "serious concerns" directly to the Iranian Embassy in New Zealand, and would continue to do so.
With reporting by Reuters
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist living in exile, was among those speaking at the UN yesterday.
The HRANA right organizations says its confirmed death toll in the Iran protests is now 2,677 and that the "latest statistical data indicates a continued upward trend in fatalities, arrests, and forced confessions."
Good morning. We'll start the live blog with the news that Iran's Internet blackout has now lasted 7 1/2 days, according to the digital rights watchdog NetBlocks. That's longer than the digital shutdown that occurred during the protests of 2019.
We are now closing the live blog for today. We'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the ongoing developments in Iran at 7:30 a.m. Central European time.
Iranian Authorities Are 'Afraid Of Their Own People,' US Ambassador To The UN Says
The United States stands by protesters in Iran, and President Donald Trump "has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter," US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said.
"President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations. He has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter," Waltz said at the Security Council meeting, which was held at Washington's request on January 15.
Responding to allegations by Iranian authorities that the nationwide protests were a plot by foreign states, Waltz said the hard-line regime in Tehran is "putting forward these lies because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets."
"Everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before... They are afraid. They’re afraid of their own people," he added.
European Union Is 'Looking To Deepen' Sanctions Against Iran
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is considering strengthening sanctions against Iran, including targeting authorities who "are responsible for the atrocities" committed during a brutal crackdown on protesters.
"The sanctions are biting... They are weakening the regime and the sanctions help to push forward that this regime comes to an end and that there is change," von der Leyen said at a press conference in Cyprus on January 15.
"The people of Iran, who are bravely fighting for change, they have our full support," she added.
Iranians Mourn A 16-Year-Old Victim Of Violent Crackdown
A newly released video shows a huge crowd attending the funeral in Abdanan of Alireza Seydi, a teenager who was killed during anti-government protests in Tehran. Seydi is one of thousands of victims of Iranian authorities' crackdown on the protest movement. Fresh details of the protests and the casualties have been severely restricted by an ongoing Internet blackout throughout the country.
