Good morning.
Iranian and US officials are set to meet in Oman on February 6 for a round of high-stakes diplomacy seen as a last-chance effort to avert a major military escalation in the Persian Gulf.
The US Virtual Embassy for Iran issued an updated travel alert on February reiterating previous calls for Americans to immediately depart Iran. The alert calls on US citizens to "Leave Iran now. Have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on US government help."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called for "mutual respect" ahead of talks with the United States in Muscat. "Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year. We engage in good faith and stand firm on our rights. Commitments need to be honored. Equal standing, mutual respect and mutual interest are not rhetoric -- they are a must and the pillars of a durable agreement," Araghchi wrote on X.
According to its latest aggregated data on February 5, the US-based rights group HRANA reports the number of confirmed deaths as 6,941, including 6,495 protesters, 171 children, 214 military–government forces, and 61 civilian nonprotesters. In addition, 11,630 cases remain under review. The number of seriously injured civilians stands at 11,021, the total number of arrests at 50,921, student arrests at 109 cases, forced confessions at 307 cases, and summonses at 11,047 cases.
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning at 7:30am Central European time to follow all the latest developments in Iran.
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.