Iranians Rally In Dozens Cities Worldwide In Support Of Protesters
Iranians held gatherings and protest marches in dozens of cities around the world on February 7 in support of the people of Iran.
Rallies also took place in Washington, London, Manchester; Berlin, Frankfurt; Hamburg, Bern, Nice, Barcelona, Malmo; and several other European cities, with participants emphasizing the need for international support -- particularly from the US government.
In Orange County in Southern California, a large number of Iranians assembled in the city of Irvine and carrying pre-Islamic Revolution lion-and-sun flags, called on the international community to stop the ongoing killings in Iran.
Protests were also held in the Australian cities of Perth and Brisbane.
WATCH: Hundred Iranians living in Washington, D.C. march on February 7 in support pf protesters in Iran.
WATCH: Protesters rally in Manchester on February 7, supporting protesters in Iran on February 7
WATCH: Rallies are held in Hamburg and Bern on February 7 in solidarity with Iranian protesters.
Good morning.
We'll begin today’s live blog with updated casualty figures from the Hrana human rights group, which has been tracking and verifying victims of the authorities’ harsh crackdown on the recent protests in Iran.
The organization reports that the overall death toll has climbed to 6,961 people and that there have been 51,465 arrests.
In its latest daily assessment of the situation, the group also highlighted "the continuation and expansion of security and judicial crackdowns against protesters and their supporters, ranging from political activists and journalists to medical staff, students, adolescents, and citizens in various cities."
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning at 9:30am Central European time to follow all the latest developments in Iran.
Iranian Authorities Arrest Activist For Endorsing Critical Statement
A well-known Iranian activist, Ghorban Behzadian-Nejad, was arrested for his contribution to a statement critical of Iran's authorities, which was written amid the deadly crackdown on nationwide protests against the regime, the Iranian daily Shargh reported.
"We call for holding a free, transparent referendum...with the aim of establishing a national and inclusive government and enabling a democratic transition," said the statement by Mir Hossein Mousavi, Iranian opposition figure and former prime minister, who is under house arrest since 2011.
Behzadian-Nejad, who was part of Mir Hossein Mousavi's 2009 presidential campaign, "was arrested at his home this afternoon," Shargh wrote on February 7.
The arrest followed a series of detentions of Iran's public figures who endorsed the statement. Film director Mehdi Mahmoudian, a co-writer of the picture awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, was also among those arrested.
Witkoff Visits Marines Aboard US Aircraft Carrier Deployed To The Middle East
US envoy Steve Witkoff visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group, which are currently stationed in the Arabian Sea.
"We thanked the sailors and Marines, observed live flight operations, and spoke with the pilot who downed an Iranian drone that approached the carrier without clear intent," Witkoff wrote on X on February 7.
He added that the US contingent aboard the carrier was "upholding President Trump's message of peace through strength."
Trump, Netanyahu Set To Discuss Talks With Iran
US President Donald Trump is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 11 in Washington, where they are set to discuss negotiations with Iran, Netanyahu's office said on February 7.
The announcement came, a day after delegations from Iran and the United States held talks mediated by Oman.
While neither side reported concrete outcomes, both suggested that negotiations over Iran's nuclear program could continue in the near term, even as Tehran ruled out any compromises on its missile program and uranium enrichment.
Earlier in the week, US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, who have been advocating for any deal with Iran to include the removal of enriched uranium from Iran, an end to Tehran's financing of its regional proxies, and limits on its ballistic missile program.
Images obtained by RFE/RL's Radio Farda show the widespread presence of protesters on the streets of the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on the evening of January 8.
Some of the footage shows protesters gathered in front of the city’s state radio and television building.
Iran Says Nuclear Talks With US Should Resume Soon After Oman Meeting
- By RFE/RL
Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran and Washington believe nuclear talks should resume soon following indirect negotiations in Oman, even as Tehran ruled out discussions on its missile program and uranium enrichment.
Abbas Araqchi told Qatar’s Al-Jazeera television on February 7 that both sides agreed the discussions should resume soon, adding that there was no agreed timeline for the next meeting.
While he said that Tehran was open to reaching a deal, Araqchi added that issues over Iran's missile program and uranium enrichment were nonstarters for future negotiations.
“Neither now nor in the future can negotiations be held over missiles because this is a defensive issue," he said. “The issue of banning enrichment is not negotiable from Iran’s point of view."
Araqchi added that Iran would respond to any potential US attack: "If Iran is attacked, we will target US bases in the region."
The comments from Araqchi came a day after delegations from Tehran and Washington held talks mediated by Oman, and after US President Donald Trump said the discussions were “very good.”
While neither side announced concrete outcomes, both suggested that negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program could continue in the near term.
“Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly. We have to see what that deal is,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
"The fact that the talks didn't fail and the two sides did not leave the negotiating table shows that maybe they felt enough common ground or that both sides put some concessions on the table that were attractive enough for both sides to continue the talks," Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
Read more here.
More Than 250 Slain Kurdish Protesters Identified
Hengaw, a human rights group which covers news from the Kurdish regions of Iran, announced in a report on February 7 that it has so far identified more than 250 Kurdish victims of the violent clampdown on demonstrators.
It has so far identified 257 Kurdish citizens who were killed by the Islamic republic's security forces during the nationwide protests in January, including 19 women and 20 children under the age of 18.
According to Hengaw, the dead came from 67 cities, including 10 students, five doctors and nurses, at least two engineers, and one teacher.
Good morning.
We'll start the blog today with the latest casualty figures from the Hrana group, which has been identifying and counting victims of the brutal crackdown on recent protests in Iran.
According to the human rights organization, the total number of deaths so far amounts to 6,955, including 6,905 protesters. Hrana says "the number of injured civilians stands at 11,021" while "total arrests have reached 51,251 cases."
In its daily report on the unrest in Iran, it also highlighted "continued arrests, growing pressure to extract forced confessions, and the emergence of cases signaling an intensification of judicial and security measures."