We are now closing the live blog for today. We'll be back again tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to follow the latest developments in Iran.
Trump Says He Hoped For Iran Deal As Khamenei Warns Of Regional War
US President Donald Trump said he hoped to agree on a deal with Iran after the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that a US attack on the Islamic republic could trigger a broader conflict.
"Of course he is going to say that," Trump told reporters on February 1 when asked about Khamenei’s warning. "If we don't make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right," he added.
Earlier in the day, Khamenei was quoted by state media as saying that "the Iranian nation shall not be scared" in the face of US threats, even as what Trump has called an "armada" has arrived in the Middle East.
"The Iranian nation will strike a strong blow against anyone who attacks and harasses them," Khamenei added.
UK Medical Staff Condemn Targeting Of Doctors, Nurses In Iran
More than 130 doctors, nurses, and medical staff in the UK have issued an open letter condemning the targeting of medical staff in Iran for treating injured protesters.
The signatories of this letter, who operate in the United Kingdom, expressed "deep concern" over published reports about the treatment of doctors and nurses in Iran, emphasizing that "medical neutrality is not political, punishing clinicians for saving lives is an attack on the foundations of medicine itself."
The letter states that, based on independent reports, a number of medical workers have been threatened, arrested, or imprisoned for treating the injured during recent protests in Iran, and that hospitals have become places of surveillance and detention.
The authors consider these actions to be a clear violation of medical ethics and the principle of impartiality of treatment. The signatories have called on international medical institutions, human rights organizations, and the British government to publicly condemn these cases, demand the protection of medical personnel in Iran, and pursue accountability for the perpetrators of these attacks.
Iranian Sports Stars Quit National Teams
Iranian basketball player Behnam Yakhchali has announced his temporary withdrawal from the Iranian national basketball team in a message posted on Instagram, citing the reason for this decision as "empathy with the people."
Yakhchali wrote in the message that “people’s hearts are not happy these days” and emphasized that he would not be on the national team until “hearts calm down.” He expressed hope that one day he would “stand together for Iran with a calm heart again.”
Meanwhile, Zahra Alizadeh, a player for the Golgohar Sirjan women's football team in the city of city of Sirjan announced on January 31 that she had retired from the national team in support of the Iranian people. She wrote in her message that in a situation where "Iran's heart burns with pain and suffering," she could not be present in the national stadiums as in the past, and that her priority was to empathize with the people.
Similarly, Kowsar Kamali, a player for the Sepahan women's football team, also announced her retirement from the national team by publishing a similar message. She wrote that when "the heart is wounded and the soul is tired," football can no longer be a refuge, and emphasized that her decision was made not out of anger but out of "awareness and respect for conscience."
Iranian Parliament Members Declare European Armies 'Terrorist'
Following the EU's designation of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Iranian parliamentarians wore IRGC uniforms in session and chanted slogans in protest.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also announced on February 1 that Tehran considers the armies of European countries to be "terrorist groups."
Qalibaf said: "According to Article 7 of the law on countermeasures against the declaration of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, the armies of European countries are considered to be terrorist groups, and the consequences of this action will be borne by the European Union."
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.