Trump Has Options Beyond Diplomacy, Says White House
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on February 5 that US President Donald Trump will be monitoring the upcoming talks between the United States and Iran in Oman to see if a deal with Tehran is possible, while warning the Islamic republic not to misread US intentions.
“[W]hile these negotiations are taking place, I would remind the Iranian regime that the president has many options at his disposal, aside from diplomacy, as the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the history of the world,” she said.
Nonetheless, she also clarified that a diplomatic solution would be Trump's preferred choice.
“Look...diplomacy is always his first option when it comes to dealing with countries all around the world, whether they're our allies or our adversaries," she said. "And so special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be traveling to Oman for those talks tomorrow, and we will see what comes of those. The president is standing by for an update from them.”
She also said that Trump has been "quite clear in his demands of the Iranian regime."
"Zero nuclear capability is something he's been very explicit about, and he wants to see if a deal can be struck," she said.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to represent the United States at the negotiations in Muscat on February 6.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also departed for Oman on February 5.
His spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said in a post on X that Tehran would engage "with authority and with the aim of reaching a fair, mutually acceptable, and dignified understanding on the nuclear issue."
"We hope the American side will also participate in this process with responsibility, realism, and seriousness," he added.
In An Anthem For Protesters, Iranians Sing 'I Am Still Alive'
As Iranians mourn thousands of protesters killed in a brutal state crackdown, two artists living outside Iran have published an anthem for the protest movement. Pooyan Moghaddassi, a Vienna-based poet who wrote the words, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the title draws on a slogan used by the protesters as a way to keep hope alive in the face of tragedy.
Filmmaker Panahi Says Iranian People 'Have No Representative' In Iran-US Talks
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi said he fears ordinary Iranians could be “sacrificed” in upcoming talks between Iran and the United States on February 6, adding that the country remains “in shock” after the recent deadly crackdown on protests.
In an interview in Paris with the AFP news agency on February 6, Panahi said that “whatever happens in these negotiations they will not be in the people’s favor,” arguing that “the people have no representative in these negotiations, and their interests are never taken into account. They can easily be sacrificed in these exchanges.”
Panahi’s comments reflect concerns in some quarters that the talks between US and Iranian officials scheduled to take place in Muscat might help consolidate the power of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rather than address domestic grievances.
Panahi, who has been living outside Iran for several months, is widely regarded as one of Iran’s most acclaimed and outspoken filmmakers, whose work has repeatedly confronted social and political issues and brought him into conflict with the Iranian government.
His films have been banned or censored at home, and he has faced prison for alleged “propaganda activities" against the state.
Nonetheless, he has continued to make movies and receive major international recognition, including the Palme d’Or at last year's Cannes festival for his most recent film It Was Just An Accident, which is also in the running for Best International Feature at the Oscars next month.
'He Was In His Mother's Arms': Iranian Family Mourns Teen Shot In Protest Crackdown
Heshmat Kayedi says Iranian security forces shot and killed his 18-year-old son in front of their home in the western Iranian city of Andimeshk during the violent crackdown on nationwide protests. Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda from inside Iran, Kayedi said that his son, Hossein, was shot in the heart and died in his mother's arms. The death was one of thousands recorded all over Iran during protests sparked by a collapsing economy and brutal state repression.
Lawyers Group Condemns Treatment Of Protest Detainees, Saying Their Rights Have Been Violated
Forty-eight senior defense attorneys have criticized the way charges against those detained during the January protests are being handled and warned that it would further undermine the credibility of the rule of law in Iran.
“The defendants’ rights to a defense must never be affected by expedited proceedings, political or security pressures, or broad and extra-legal interpretations,” they said in a statement issued on February 5.
Beyond “depriving detainees of the right to an independent lawyer,” the statement accuses the judiciary of running “hasty trials” built on “identical reports by law-enforcement officers” and repetitive charges that have at times produced “identical and highly flawed verdicts.”
The lawyers also criticized the practice of steering cases to “a limited number of specific branches,” where hearings can last only minutes and families face “restrictions on informing and responding” and limited access to authorities.
They further pointed to “broadcasting illegal televised confessions,” unlawful restrictions on obtaining legal representation, and detention orders “disproportionate to the case file,” which often keep defendants jailed even when bail is granted.
According to the statement, these problems are compounded by “restrictions on phone calls and visits,” severe prison overcrowding, the “spread of disease,” and “inadequate attention to prisoners’ health and medical care.”
The lawyers also expressed concern over repeated reports of “violent treatment, extracting confessions under pressure, and holding detainees in solitary confinement.”
Meanwhile, citing what it described as the Islamic republic’s long record of issuing death sentences based on forced confessions, the Iran Human Rights Organization also warned on February 4 that "detainees are now facing an escalating risk of mass death sentences, executions and extrajudicial killings."
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which directs US military operations across the Middle East and surrounding waters, posted this video on X today:
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is leading a naval strike group that has been deployed off the coast of Iran in response to simmering tensions over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on recent protests.
Erdogan Says Doing His Best To Prevent US-Iran Conflict
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is doing his utmost to prevent tensions between the United States and Iran from escalating into conflict and chaos in the region.
The Turkish presidency also announced on February 5 that Erdogan, upon returning from a trip to Egypt, praised the diplomatic efforts of both sides and said that after negotiations at lower levels, dialogue at the leadership level could be beneficial.
Erdogan visited Egypt on February 4 and held talks with the country's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The day before, he also held talks with Saudi officials about bilateral relations as well as tensions surrounding Iran.
The US-Iran talks, which will take Muscat, the capital of Oman, on February 6, were initially scheduled to be held in Turkey.
Actors Continue To Boycott Fajr Film Festival
Continuing the withdrawals by well-known filmmakers from the Fajr Film Festival, actor Amir Jadidi announced on Instagram that he would "abstain" from attending.
The festival, running from January 31 to February 11, is Iran's largest and most prominent celebration of film.
Jadidi is the fourth known actor to withdraw from participating in the festival in recent days.
Previously, actors Elnaz Shakerdoost, Sahra Asdaolahi, and Hooman Seydi had announced that they would not attend what is the 44th Fajr festival.
Saeed Zamanian, the producer of one of the films that was in this year's lineup, Arambakhsh, had previously said that he would withdraw from the festival in sympathy with the Iranian people.
This year, there has been far fewer stars appearing at the festival's media conferences.
Iranian Lawyers File Complaint At The Hague Over Crackdown
Iran's One Word lawyers' network announced that it has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague regarding the suppression of the January protests in Iran.
The lawyers' network aims to reform Iran's legal system and also produces material that informs citizens of their legal rights.
The ICC complaint documents numerous cases of "crimes against humanity committed by armed elements of the Islamic republic during the recent crackdown."
The complaint, based on extensive data, evidence, and legal analysis, argues that the pattern of violence "constitutes a widespread and organized attack on the civilian population, amounting to crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court."
In a statement released on February 4, the lawyers' network called the new round of repression and killing of protesters in Iran "clear evidence of crimes against humanity" and announced that these actions were carried out with amid a nationwide Internet shutdown and away from the oversight of global public opinion.
Teachers Union Says More Than 160 Students Died In Regime Crackdown
Mohammad Habibi, spokesman for the Coordination Council of Teachers' Unions, announced that the number of students killed in the crackdown on protests has exceeded 160.
"This number means that at least five entire classrooms have been massacred so far," he wrote in a post on X. "Nowhere in the world is the answer to a student's 'slogan' a 'bullet.'"
Habibi has published, in a file titled Empty Benches, the names of 150 students who were killed in the violent crackdown.
The teachers' council says it is aiming to publish the names and pictures of these children -- once the identities are verified.
According to the latest verified cumulative data compiled by the US-based HRANA, the total number of confirmed deaths has reached 6,883.