TOP STORIES
US President Donald Trump used the longest State of the Union address in US history to repeat the threat of military action against Iran if diplomacy fails—and pledged to keep negotiating to end the war in Ukraine. . . . “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” Trump said. “But one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.” . . . Trump further stated that in recent domestic unrest Iranian authorities had “killed at least, it looks like, 32,000 protesters in their own country.” . . . Trump closed his comments on Iran with the warning: “No nation should ever doubt America’s resolve. We have the most powerful military on Earth.”
Over 150 U.S. Aircraft Sweep into Europe, Middle East as Trump Mulls Strikes | Washington Post
The U.S. military has rapidly increased its presence near Iran, shifting more than 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East since a second round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran ended without a breakthrough on Feb. 17, according to publicly available flight tracking data and satellite imagery reviewed by The Washington Post.
Armed Police Flood Iran’s Universities to Crush Student Protests | Guardian
Plainclothes police and security forces, many of them armed, have tried to flood Iran’s remaining open universities in an attempt to crush a fourth day of student protests against the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Running battles were reported on some campuses, with videos showing fistfights between the Basji state-backed militia and students at the University of Science and Technology in Tehran. Pick-up trucks with machine-guns were photographed parked outside the University of Tehran, with demonstrations also in Mashhad. Elsewhere, students found themselves barred from entry if they had been identified as being involved in previous protests and university administrators also announced the closure of in-person classes. Nearly 80% of Iran’s universities are already conducting virtual courses, partly to prevent students being given a chance to gather to demonstrate against the government and its brutal crackdown of the January protests.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran is Ready for War – is America? | UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky in The Spectator
In 2001, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met privately with Spain’s then-prime minister Jose Maria Aznar. Aznar recounted how Khamenei dubbed Israel a ‘cancer condemned to disappear’ and said that an open confrontation with Israel and the United States was inevitable. Iran, the supreme leader insisted, would prevail. Fast forward to 2026, and the war that Khamenei prophesised is getting closer by the day. For decades, durable diplomacy between America and Iran has failed because of the ideological nature of the Islamic Republic. It makes its decisions based on a mix of ideology and a desire for self-preservation. Tehran will consider tactical concessions to buy time but will never compromise on its grand strategy: anti-Americanism, eradication of the state of Israel and the export of the Islamic Revolution.
For nearly five decades, the Islamic Republic has tried to domesticate the university through purges, ideological policing, and now digital dispersal. January 2026 shows that it still cannot. A regime can force quiet for a season, arrest thousands, and kill on a massive scale, but it cannot permanently solve the contradiction it created: mass higher education inside a political order that offers young people domination without a future. The conclusion is not that repression is ineffective, but that repression cannot address the underlying conditions that continuously generate dissent. The university is still breathing in Iran because the forces that politicize it are still alive. Since 1979, the regime has treated campuses as a danger to be contained. January 2026 suggests that containment is no longer enough, and that dispersal is the new language of fear. Students, in turn, are learning how to turn dispersal into a new kind of collective life.
DIPLOMATIC & MILITARY MATTERS
US Raises Stakes with F-22s Landing in Israel as Trump Weighs Options Against Iran | Jerusalem Post
American F-22 fighter jets landed at an Israeli Air Force base on Tuesday evening amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, according to Walla's Amir Bohbot.
NATO Said to Step Up Iran Surveillance as Tensions with US Mount | Bloomberg
The focus of NATO’s air surveillance in Turkey has shifted from Russia to Iran as the risk of a US-led military campaign against Tehran mounts, people familiar with the matter said. The alliance has frequently used its advanced AWACS radar planes based in Turkey to keep tabs on both countries. However, the frequency of flights from the central Anatolian city of Konya to watch Iran has increased, said the people, requesting anonymity to speak on a sensitive issue.
White House Says Trump’s First Option on Iran Is Diplomacy | Reuters
“President Trump’s first option is always diplomacy. But as he has shown . . . he is willing to use the lethal force of the United States military if necessary,” [White House Press Secretary] Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House. “The president is always the final decision maker around here.”
Iran Nears Deal to Buy Supersonic Anti-Ship Missiles from China | Reuters
Iran is close to a deal with China to purchase anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, just as the United States deploys a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic. The deal for the Chinese‑made CM‑302 missiles is near completion, though no delivery date has been agreed, the people said. The supersonic missiles have a range of about 290 kilometres and are designed to evade shipborne defences by flying low and fast. Their deployment would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to U.S. naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said.
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS
CIA Publishes Farsi Message Instructing Iranians How to Reach Out Securely | Jerusalem Post
The CIA published a call to action for Iranian anti-regime protesters to contact the organization securely and virtually, in a Tuesday X/Twitter post. The post, with detailed instructions in Farsi, comes along with a message that the CIA “can hear your voice and wants to help you.” The instructions, read by The Jerusalem Post, called on activists to avoid using their office computer or phone line to contact the US intelligence organization. “Instead, use a new, disposable device if possible. Be aware of your surroundings and those who may see your screen or activity,” the CIA called.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Tensions Rise in Iran as Protesters Face Off with Regime Loyalists | Wall Street Journal
Tensions are growing in Iran between antiregime activists and pro-government militias as the two sides clashed Tuesday during protests on campuses for a fourth consecutive day. . . . Many counterprotesters appear to be student members of the Basij, a volunteer pro-regime militia that played a leading role in putting down the earlier wave of demonstrations. They have burned American and Israeli flags on campus, alleging those countries are helping to foment the unrest. Fistfights erupted at the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran, where video footage verified by The Wall Street Journal appears to show regime loyalists waving the Iranian flag as they chased after antigovernment activists and hit them.
Shot, Chased, Denied Care: How a Mother Was Left to Die in Iran’s Massacre | Iran International
50-year-old fitness trainer who joined a protest in Esfahan with her two children last month was shot in the head and later died after a hospital refused to admit her and security forces stopped the car carrying her, sources told Iran International. Arezoo Abedi, a mountaineer and fitness coach, was shot on Baghe Daryacheh Street on January 8 while her children were with her, sources said.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iranian Oil Loadings Soar as Regional Risks Intensify Ahead of U.S. Talks | Wall Street Journal
Iran’s crude loadings have surged to multiyear highs this month as geopolitical risks build ahead of a third round of nuclear talks with Washington. Loadings of Iranian crude and condensate to shipping vessels jumped to nearly 27 million barrels last week, or about 3.78 million barrels a day—almost three times the recent weekly average of roughly 10 million barrels—according to data provider Kpler.
Russia, Iran Cut Oil Prices for China as Unsold Barrels Accumulate at Sea | Bloomberg
Russian and Iranian oil producers are offering deepening discounts as they compete for the same limited group of Chinese buyers after India retreated from purchases. India’s imports from Russia could drop by 40% from January levels to around 600,000 barrels a day, according to a scenario from Rystad Energy. Much of the displaced cargoes are now heading east, spurring a price war with Iranian suppliers that have long been favored by China’s private refiners.
UK Sanctions New Zealand Insurer Maritime Mutual After Reuters Report | Reuters
Britain on Tuesday sanctioned Maritime Mutual, the New Zealand-based marine insurer that was the subject of a Reuters special report into how it had helped in the trade of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian and Russian oil. . . . Britain on Tuesday sanctioned Maritime Mutual, the New Zealand-based marine insurer that was the subject of a Reuters special report into how it had helped in the trade of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian and Russian oil. The company had insured at some point almost one in six of the shadow fleet tankers sanctioned by Western governments, including the United States, European Union and Britain, Reutersfound.
HOSTAGES
Iran Arrests Japan Public Broadcaster’s Bureau Chief In Tehran | Radio Farda
Iran has arrested the bureau chief of Japan's public broadcaster, NHK World, and transferred him to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, two sources told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda. It is unclear when Shinnosuke Kawashima was arrested or the charges against him, although sources said he was taken to Evin Prison on February 23. Kawashima is being held in Ward 7 of Evin Prison, where political prisoners are usually incarcerated, one of the sources said.
Japan Demands Swift Release of National Detained in Iran | Reuters
The Japanese government demanded the swift release of one of its citizens detained in Iran for over a month on Wednesday, without providing further details of the case. The person was detained on January 20 and the government has been in touch with the family and the Iranian authorities, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters. He declined to identify the person or give any other details of the incident.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Marco Rubio delivered a rare briefing to top US lawmakers on Iran, just a few hours before Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to say that Tehran would never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
Senate Democrat Opens Inquiry into Iran Transactions on Binance | New York Times
A top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security committee opened an inquiry on Tuesday into concerns about possible sanctions violations raised by internal investigators at Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Citing reports in The New York Times and two other outlets, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said he was examining the flow of $1.7 billion in crypto from Binance accounts to entities tied to Iran. In a letter to Binance’s co-chief executive Richard Teng, Mr. Blumenthal asked for records about the company’s dealings with two Hong Kong entities identified by the exchange’s investigators as the origin of the transfers to Iran. “Binance appears to have ignored warnings and recommendations to prevent Iranian money laundering schemes on its cryptocurrency exchange,” Mr. Blumenthal wrote.
US Lawmakers Introduce Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom Bill | Iran International
House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lawler and Ranking Member Brad Sherman introduced the Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom, and Accountability Act in Washington on Tuesday. “The Iranian regime fears one thing above all else: a connected, informed population,” Lawler said in a statement. “Comprehensive legislation is needed to expand internet freedom and target the financial networks of corrupt officials.” . . . The bill includes provisions condemning protest crackdowns, calling for the release of political prisoners, expanding funding for internet freedom programs and directing US agencies to develop tools to bypass censorship and disrupt Iranian officials’ financial networks.
Cruz Says ‘Limited’ Strikes in Iran Likely Soon: ‘The Regime Has Never Been Weaker’ | The Hill
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said U.S. military forces are likely to conduct “limited” strikes against Iran, possibly in “a matter of days,” and declared that Iran’s theocratic regime “has never been weaker.” Cruz, who spoke to President Trump recently, said he urged the president to “not miss this opportunity” to topple Iran’s regime and clear the path for a new government that would be friendlier to the United States.
EUROPE & IRAN
Netherlands Summons Iranian Ambassador over Seizure of Diplomatic Luggage | Jerusalem Post
The Dutch Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador to the Netherlands on Tuesday to protest against the seizure of a Dutch diplomat’s luggage at Tehran airport. . . . The ministry said it had repeatedly asked Iran to immediately release the seized goods, but gave no further details.
HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, ISRAEL & IRAN
Israel sent an indirect message to Lebanon that it would strike the country hard, targeting civilian infrastructure, including the airport, in the event that Hezbollah gets involved in any US-Iran war, two senior Lebanese officials said Tuesday. . . . Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi confirmed Beirut’s fears of its infrastructure being targeted by Israel in the event of escalation. “There are signs that the Israelis could strike very hard in the event of an escalation, potentially including strategic infrastructure such as the airport,” Raggi told reporters in Geneva. “We are currently conducting diplomatic efforts to request that, even in the event of retaliation, Lebanese civilian infrastructure not be targeted,” he said.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji on Tuesday urged the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah not to get involved in any fighting between the United States and Iran, expressing concerns about a new possible conflict with Israel. . . . Rajji said Lebanese authorities had appealed to Hezbollah, which has fought several wars with Israel, most recently in 2024, not to respond in any way that could trigger “bad situations” for Lebanese civilians.
UNITED NATIONS & IRAN
Diplomacy over Grief: Activists Condemn Iran’s UN Appearance After Crackdown | Iran International
Tehran’s envoy addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday drew sharp criticism from activists, who argued that giving Iran a platform so soon after its deadly crackdown sent a painful message to victims’ families. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, spoke before the council in Geneva as most delegates remained seated, despite calls from campaigners urging democratic governments to walk out. . . . During his speech, Gharibabadi dismissed reports of large-scale killings and instead accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating unrest inside Iran. He claimed “enemies of Iran” had diverted economic protests into “riots and chaos,” alleging that demonstrators committed “Daesh-like atrocities,” while asserting official figures showed 3,117 total deaths—far below estimates reported by rights groups. He further accused supporters of the protest movement abroad of spreading “fabricated casualty figures,” while insisting Iran itself was a defender of human rights. . . . Later the same day in Geneva, Gharibabadi also appeared at the UN Conference on Disarmament, where images captured him greeting and shaking hands with UN Secretary-General António Guterres following the session.