We are now closing the live blog for today. We'll be back again tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. Central European time to follow the latest developments in Iran.
Videos Show Destroyed Building In Iranian Port City
Phone videos from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas have emerged, showing the destruction of a building that was rocked by a massive explosion earlier.
Iranian Official Says Framework For US Talks Is Under Way
Iran's top security official Ali Larijani announced on X that work on a framework for negotiations with the United States is progressing.
"Contrary to the atmosphere being created by artificial media warfare, the formation of a structure for negotiations is under way," Larijani wrote on January 31, giving no further details.
US President Donald Trump earlier said he believed Iran wanted to make a deal to avoid military action. Speaking on January 30 at the White House, he added that he had set Tehran an undisclosed deadline to respond as US ships steamed toward the region.
"I can say this, they do want to make a deal," Trump told reporters. Asked if he had given a deadline, he said "Yeah I have," but said that "only they know for sure" what it was.
IRGC Denies Rumors Of Commander's Assassination
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has denied rumors has denied the commander of its navy, Alireza Tangsiri, has been assassinated.
Rumors of his death coincided with a deadly blast in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed a massive explosion in a residential area in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Four people have been confirmed dead by the authorities.
Shortly after the explosion, rumors began spreading on social media that Tangsiri had been killed.
“The news of the assassination of General Tangsiri is completely false and no incident has occurred to the commander of the IRGC’s navy," the IRGC's news outlet, SepahNews, wrote.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.
According to the Director General of Crisis Management of Hormozgan Governorate, the incident involved an explosion in a residential house on Moallem Boulevard in Bandar Abbas.
According to ISNA News Agency, the sound of the explosion was heard in several neighborhoods in Bandar Abbas.
Mizan, the media outlet of the Islamic republic's judiciary, linked the rumors of Tangsiri's death to "Trump's psychological operations through the deployment of ships to the region."
In recent days, the possibility of US military action against the Iranian government has become a major topic of domestic and international media. The US military has deployed a significant number of fighter jets and tankers to the region in addition to warships.
Also, on January 30, a US Navy destroyer docked in the Israeli port of Eilat in the south of the country. This action comes at a time when tensions between Washington and Tehran are rising.
Pezeshkian Again Accuses Protesters Of Foreign Ties
President Masud Pezeshkian, who had previously called the protesters agitators and terrorists, once again accused them of having ties to foreign forces in a speech on January 31.
In vague remarks, he said that "we are obliged to listen to the protesters" and accused the protesters of "colluding" with Trump, Netanyahu, and the Europeans.
"Trump, Netanyahu, and the Europeans sought to provoke and divide, and they equipped each other, and they brought some innocent people along with this movement and brought them to the streets to tear Iran apart, create fights and hatred, and sow division," he said.
Pezeshkian continued: "We are obliged to listen to the protesters and resolve their concerns, but everyone knows the issue was not just a social protest, they took advantage of our problems, they provoked us."
In a televised interview that aired on January 11, he had claimed the protesters, whose presence in various cities has become more prominent since [January 8], are taking "orders" from the United States and Israel, adding that "the enemy has brought trained terrorists into the country."
The new round of protests in Iran that began on December 28 was met with severe and violent repression by government forces on January 8-9 of this month, to the extent that even government sources have confirmed that more than 3,000 people have been killed.
Independent nongovernmental sources, meanwhile, have put the number of victims of government repression in the tens of thousands.
Pezeshkian did not elaborate on January 31 how foreign forces were able to "incite and equip" thousands of people inside Iran without the government, which has always presented itself as the guarantor of the people's security, being informed.
Iran Signals Readiness For Nuclear Talks With US, Draws Red Lines On Missiles
Iran's foreign minister has signaled a readiness to resume nuclear talks with the United States, while once again drawing firm red lines around Tehran's missile program and defensive capabilities, as regional mediation efforts accelerate amid escalating threats from President Donald Trump.
Speaking on January 30 in Istanbul, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would be prepared to re-enter negotiations with Washington if talks were conducted on what he described as a "fair and equitable" basis.
At a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Araqchi said Iran was open to "confidence-building" measures related to its nuclear program, but stressed that Iran's military posture was non-negotiable.
"Iran's defensive capabilities and missiles will never be the subject of any negotiation," he said, adding that no direct talks between Tehran and Washington are currently planned.
The remarks come as diplomatic activity across the region intensifies to prevent a direct US–Iran confrontation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a phone call with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, offered Ankara's services as a "facilitator" between Iran and the United States. According to Turkey's presidency, Erdogan said Ankara was ready to help reduce tensions and resolve disputes, an offer that was followed by an in-person meeting later on January 30 between Erdogan and Araqchi.
To read the rest of the news report by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
US Central Command Urges IRGC To 'Avoid Escalatory Behavior'
In response to Iran's announcement that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) would be conducting a live-fire naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has urged the IRGC to prioritize safety and "avoiding unnecessary risk."
The two-day exercise is scheduled to begin on February 1.
CENTCOM "urges the IRGC to conduct the announced naval exercise in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk to freedom of navigation for international maritime traffic," the Central Command wrote in a statement on X on January 30. "The Strait of Hormuz is an international sea passage and an essential trade corridor that supports regional economic prosperity."
It added that "roughly 100 of the world’s merchant vessels" use the narrow straight for commerce on a daily basis.
While CENTCOM acknowledged Iran's right to "operate professionally in international airspace and waters," it warned that "any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near US forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization."
NetBlocks: 22 Days Into Blackout, Internet Still Restricted And Heavily Filtered
Internet monitor Netblocks wrote in a report on the evening of January 30 that the Internet in Iran is still heavily filtered and restricted, 22 full days after the nationwide blackout began.
According to the report, Internet access in Iran is only possible based on a "white list" and intermittent disconnections and connections, minimizing Iranians' contact with the outside world.
According to NetBlocks, networks inside Iran are visible from the outside but are effectively locked and widely blocked for most users inside the country.
The Internet in Iran has been cut off since January 8, coinciding with the spread of protesters on the streets.
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back again at 9:30 a.m. Central European time to follow the latest developments in Iran.