Live Blog: Trump, Netanyahu Set To Discuss Talks With Iran

The Kremlin says Russia is still trying to ease tensions over Iran. Dmitry Peskov, the Russian presidential spokesman, said on February 1 that Moscow has long offered its services to process or store Iran’s enriched uranium.

"This issue has been on the agenda for a long time, and Russia has long offered its services as a possible option, an option that could lead to the removal of some of the factors that cause tension for a number of countries," Peskov told reporters.

Reporters asked Peskov if Russia was in talks with Iran and the United States about its proposal to transfer Iran's enriched uranium abroad.

He responded: "Russia is currently continuing its efforts, contacts with all interested parties are ongoing, and we are ready to help reduce tensions around Iran as much as possible."

Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has confirmed that Iran has about 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is "likely" to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff "in the coming days," the Tasnim news agency reported on February 2, citing an informed source.

The news agency, which is seen as being close the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said the time and location of the meeting are still to be finalized.

The report comes a day after US President Donald Trump said Iran is "talking seriously" with the United States following his threats of renewed military action and amid the buildup of a US "armada" in the tense Middle East region.

Trump has publicly taken a hard line against Iran's autocratic rulers amid a crackdown on anti-government protesters on the streets of Tehran and other cities throughout the country.

More than 100,000 people demonstrated in downtown Toronto, Canada, on February 1, in solidarity with Iranian protesters. The rally, which began at Sankofa Square and continued to Queen's Park, shut down parts of the city center for hours. Holding flags and photos of the dead, participants called for an end to the repression and for free and democratic elections in Iran.

Toronto police told CBC Toronto in a statement that "more than 100,000 people" took part in the rally.

According to CBC, the protesters emphasized that they wanted practical action from the Canadian government, including implementing measures to weaken the Islamic republic's government, expel Iranian officials from Canada, and prevent any negotiations between Iran and members of the United Nations.

Canada had previously designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in June 2024.

CBC Canada reported that about 15,000 people also rallied in downtown Vancouver on February 1 in solidarity with protesters in Iran, and other Iranian protests were held in Edmonton, Montreal, Calgary, and Ottawa.

On the same day, Los Angeles police said 60,000 people also gathered on Westwood Avenue in support of the protests in Iran. Iranian artists and athletes were in attendance.

Other rallies in the United States were held on February 1 in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Sacramento, Atlanta, and Austin.

Iranian protest rallies were also reported in a number of European cities, including Lisbon, Vienna, Regensburg, Frankfurt, Brussels, Hamburg, Paris, Rome, Toulouse, Cologne, Dublin, Stockholm, and Helsinki. Rallies were also reported in Japan and Cyprus.

Thousands of Iranians in London gathered in front of the British Prime Minister’s Office, calling on the UK government to immediately list the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Iran announced on February 2 that it was summoning EU ambassadors in Tehran. The move followed the EU's designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group.

"Representatives of all EU member states that have an embassy in Tehran were summoned to the Foreign Ministry" on February 1 and 2, spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a ministry press briefing that AFP attended.

EU foreign ministers agreed on January 29 to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization after years of pressure from within and outside the bloc to blacklist the elite force.

Meanwhile, the Italian Embassy in Tehran issued a statement on February 1 saying it will be closed until further notice.

The statement emphasized that despite the closure of the consular office, the provision of essential and urgent services to Italian citizens would continue to be guaranteed.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, announced earlier on February 1 that Tehran considers the armies of European countries to be "terrorist groups" and that "their military dependents who are in embassies in Iran must be expelled immediately."

Good morning, here is our latest news wrap on Iran.

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.

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.

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 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."

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."