TOP STORIES
Iran Refuses to End Nuclear Enrichment in Talks with U.S. | Wall Street Journal
According to Iranian state media, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his U.S. counterparts [during negotiations Friday in Oman] that Tehran wouldn’t agree to end [uranium] enrichment or move it offshore, rejecting a core U.S. requirement. Araghchi, however, said it had been a good start, and he and Oman’s foreign minister said the parties aimed to meet again. The two sides didn’t meet face to face but instead held alternating discussions with Omani diplomats. Neither moved much from their initial position, people familiar with the discussions said. . . . In the talks Friday, Iran said it would only negotiate its missiles and support for militias with regional powers.
Trump Says U.S. and Iran Had “Very Good Talks” | Axios
“We had very good talks today on Iran. Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly, but we have to see what that deal is,” [President] Trump told reporters . . . Trump said Iran should want to make a deal because the U.S. “armada” is going to be near its shores soon. The president said the U.S. is “in no rush” to go on a military operation in Iran, both because it still has to get all its military assets “into position” and because he prefers a diplomatic solution. “They know that if they don’t make a deal the consequences are very steep,” Trump said. . . . Trump mentioned that Iran needs to agree upfront to “no nuclear weapons.”
At least 13 prisoners were executed in various prisons across Iran on Saturday morning after having been convicted by the regime's courts of drug and murder-related charges, US-based human rights group HRANA reported the same day. . . . HRANA confirmed the identities of 10 of the executed individuals, naming them as Ali Faza Khoshneshin, Farshad Sheikhi, Avin Sorkhi, Jafar Faryadi, Ali Sarlakabad, Sosha Moradi, Behzad Mashayekhi, Mohammad Ali Saeedloo, Morad Goli, and Abolfazl Naqvi.
UANI IN THE NEWS
“These foreign policy challenges have been around for a very long time,” said UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace. “Foreign policy circles can be insular and territorial. I like [U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff]. Steve comes from a totally different world that brings a different approach, and he has been successful. There is a lot of criticism that is unfair to both his approach and that of President Trump. Certainly they have been disruptors, but they have been successful in various areas. For example, for how many years have successive presidents tried to no avail to see EU countries spend more on defense? Of course, there has been some broken china, and the cost of repairing that china remains to be seen.”
Iran Returns to Its Negotiating Stall | Wall Street Journal Editorial
After Friday’s talks, the U.S. imposed sanctions on 15 entities, two people and 14 vessels involved in the illegal oil and petrochemical trade. Half the vessels were previously identified by the private watchdog group, United Against Nuclear Iran, as evading sanctions. This is a good move, and the U.S. “armada” sent to the region gives President Trump the option of enforcing a Venezuela-style embargo. Otherwise, talk is cheap for Iran’s regime.
Iran Threatens Missile Attacks, Hoping Trump Sees Strength Not Weakness | Wall Street Journal
Tehran unleashed a barrage of around 500 missiles that struck civilian and military locations in Israel last June but did little strategic damage. Though Israel pounded Iran’s missile launchers and storage sites during a 12-day war in June, the regime emerged from the bruising conflict with much of its remaining arsenal intact. More important, Iran learned how to get more of its missiles past Israeli and American defenses as the war went on. It is threatening to fire them again on a broader set of targets around the region if Trump orders an attack. . . . Building Iran’s missile arsenal was the life’s work of Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a figure so important that Israel killed him in an airstrike during the opening salvo of its surprise attack last June. . . . He was “an ideological hard-liner who was obsessed with the idea of destroying Israel,” said [UANI Senior Advisor] Saeid Golkar, an authority on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard who teaches at the University of Tennessee.
Trump Turns to US Military Leaders for Diplomatic Efforts on Iran and Ukraine | Associated Press
Michael Singh, who was senior director for the Middle East at the White House National Security Council in the George W. Bush administration, said he saw [U.S. Central Command Commander Brad] Cooper’s presence [at the U.S.–Iran negotiations] as more to do with his expertise. Witkoff and Kushner are not experts on Iran but generalists engaged in diplomatic talks worldwide, while Cooper has knowledge of the region and access to military experts who can evaluate any proposed concessions to Iran’s nuclear program, Singh said.
US Sanctions More Tankers as Indirect Talks with Iran Begin | Maritime Executive
The NGO United Against Nuclear Iran highlights that it had identified seven of the 14 vessels sanctioned today as evading sanctions. The group’s online tracking of the tanker fleet lists more than 190 tankers that have been sanctioned since 2020.
. . . However, Jason Brodsky, policy director of the think tank United Against Nuclear Iran, warned, “The regime in Iran will say and do enough to earn another meeting. That’s the goal here with its friends the ‘mediators’—to lure the U.S. into a process that thwarts military action. Tehran will say it will be flexible on the nuclear program, but on other non-nuclear topics, they will dig in.”
DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR & MISSILE PROGRAMS
Iran Again Rules Out Giving Up Uranium Enrichment, Suggests US Not Taking Talks Seriously | Agencies
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States. . . . Araghchi’s comments came after US lead negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday, signaling the persistent threat of US military action against Iran.
The Trump administration has told Iran that it expects the Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to arrive at their next meeting “with meaningful substance,” two people familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. . . . The first meeting was described as a “good meeting,” focusing mainly on how the negotiations would be conducted rather than on the core issues themselves, the sources said. The Americans expect the Iranians to come to the next meeting prepared to offer concessions on the nuclear issue and other matters, they added.
Iran Cleric Says Enrichment Will Continue, Rejects Suspension Calls | Iran International
Ahmad Khatami, a senior Iranian cleric, said Iran would continue uranium enrichment and dismissed international calls to suspend the program as “irrelevant.”
Trump Envoys Met Directly with Iran Foreign Minister in Oman | Axios
During the talks, Trump’s advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met directly with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, two sources briefed on the meeting said. . . . Iran has insisted during most previous meetings on communicating with the U.S. only through mediators, rather than negotiating directly. That was the format for some of Friday's meeting, but the officials also spoke directly, according to the two sources. . . . The U.S. wanted to negotiate on two tracks: the nuclear issue on the one hand, and a broader range of issues including missiles and Iran's proxy network on the other. But according to Araghchi, only the nuclear issue was discussed. “We do not discuss any other issues with the Americans,” he told state media. . . . A U.S. official told Axios that a second round of talks is expected in the coming days.
Nuclear Talks Said to Include In-Person Meeting Between Trump’s Aides and Iran FM | Times of Israel
Channel 12 says the US negotiators told their Iranian counterparts that they expect Tehran to come to the next meeting with a tangible and significant concession related to the nuclear file.
At [a direct meeting of U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi], the Americans presented their red lines: halting uranium enrichment, removing enriched uranium, limiting ballistic missiles in both quantity and range, and ending funding for proxy forces. Iranian representatives rejected all of the demands and continue to insist on maintaining their right to enrich uranium. The talks focused largely on conditions for negotiations, and here too no real breakthrough was achieved. The United States agreed to another meeting but made clear it expects a concrete Iranian proposal rather than delays.
Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader to Visit Oman on Tuesday After US-Iranian Talks | Reuters
Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and secretary of its national security council, will visit Oman on Tuesday following indirect U.S.-Iranian talks there, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. U.S. and Iranian diplomats engaged through Omani mediation in the Gulf Arab state last week in an effort to revive diplomacy amid a U.S. naval buildup near Iran and Tehran's vows of a harsh response if attacked.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran Threatens US Military Bases | Telegraph
“There is no possibility of attacking American soil if Washington attacks us, but we will attack their bases in the region,” [Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas] Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday.
Israel Warns Trump: We May Act Alone if Iran Crosses Ballistic Missile Red Line | Jerusalem Post
Israeli defense officials recently told their US counterparts that Iran’s ballistic missile program represents an existential threat, and that Jerusalem is prepared to act unilaterally if necessary. . . . “We told the Americans we will strike alone if Iran crosses the red line we set on ballistic missiles,” the source said, adding that Israel is not yet at that threshold but is continuously tracking developments inside Iran.
Germany Warns of Increased Iranian Espionage Targeting the Bundeswehr | Euronews
The German army is coming under increasing scrutiny from Iranian intelligence services, with security officials and lawmakers warning of espionage, cyber attacks and a heightened threat environment. . . . Iran has been suspected of carrying out espionage operations in Germany for years, not only since the EU moved to put the Revolutionary Guards on its terror list. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, told Deutsche Welle that Iranian intelligence services are “very active” in the country. Politically active Iranian exiles, journalists and opposition figures are seen as particularly vulnerable. They are reportedly monitored, intimidated and smeared, and in some cases even threatened with violence in an effort to stifle dissent. Authorities warn that such surveillance can also be used to prepare more serious crimes, including abduction or even murder.
‘Peace Through Strength’: US Military Releases New Photos of Mideast Assets | Iran International
The US military published photos of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group accompanied by two military supply ships and two US Coast Guard cutters sailing together on Friday in the Arabian Sea as aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 9 flew overhead. “Peace through Strength!” it said.
CENTCOM Showcases KC-135 Refueling Operations amid Iran Tensions | Iran International
US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday published images on its X account of aerial refueling operations carried out by a KC-135 Stratotanker, saying the aircraft helps US Air Force pilots fly farther and remain in the air longer and can transfer more than 200,000 pounds of fuel before landing.
Tehran Mural Depicts Potential Strike Targets in Tel Aviv Area | Iran International
A large mural displaying a map of potential targets in Israel’s Tel Aviv metropolitan area has been unveiled in Tehran’s Palestine Square. Hebrew-language text appears on the mural reading: “Facing a rain of missiles, this is a small area!” alongside an English slogan that says: “YOU START . . . WE FINISH IT!”
POLITICAL TRANSITION IN IRAN
US Works on Transition Plans for Iran Even as Envoys Head to Oman for Nuclear Talks | The National
Even as the US prepares for diplomatic talks with Iran, the White House is seeking input from prominent Iranian Americans who could assist in any transition should supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei be toppled. A source close to American efforts to find an alternative to the current regime in Iran told The National that US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is closely involved. He is helping to assemble a group of Iranian-American business leaders to advise on the formation of some sort of transitional entity to help govern Iran in the event of the regime's collapse, the source said. . . . The first source, who is involved in the White House discussions, also said the Trump administration wants to convene a meeting of Iranian opposition figures in Palm Beach, Florida, where the President's Mar-a-Lago estate is located.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
A Second Wave of Popular Anger Is Building in Iran | Wall Street Journal
A new wave of popular anger is rising in Iran, as people enraged by last month’s mass killings of protesters vent their antipathy for the regime despite the risks of a continuing crackdown. Mourning families are shouting antiregime slogans at funerals and memorials. Students are refusing to sing patriotic songs at school. Medical workers are publicly condemning the arrests of colleagues who treated people injured in the protests. And groups of local activists are openly calling for the fall of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. . . . “People are full of fear but also resentment,” a woman from the city of Kermanshah said via text message. “We’re all staring at the sky, hoping Trump will bomb us, just to destroy Khamenei and his regime. We’re willing to die one by one, but we don’t want our children to suffer our pain and torture.”
Iran Armored Vehicles Ran over Protesters in Three Ardabil Areas | Iran International
Iranian security forces ran armored vehicles over protesters in at least three areas of the northwestern city of Ardabil on Jan. 9, killing one woman and seriously injuring three others, according to information received by Iran International.
15-Year-Old Footballer Shot Dead in Central Iran Protests | Iran International
A 15-year-old footballer was killed by security forces during nationwide protests in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, people familiar with the matter told Iran International. Pedram Khalouei, a teenage player in Sepahan’s development team—affiliated with Sepahan, one of Iran’s leading professional football clubs—was shot dead on the evening of January 9, at the Simin three-way junction in Isfahan, the sources said. They said security forces fired live ammunition, striking him in the heart in front of his father.
65-Year-Old Shot Dead in Karaj Protests | Iran International
A 65-year-old man was killed after being shot by security forces during nationwide protests in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, people familiar with the matter told Iran International. Khodadad Alftati, originally from Kermanshah province, was fatally shot on the evening of January 8, in the Fardis area of the city, the sources said.
Reports of Deaths in Custody in Iran Raise Fears of Quiet Repression | Iran International
Human rights activists are sounding the alarm over reports of secret and extrajudicial executions in Iran, warning that the authorities may be moving toward retaliating against detainees after the deadly crackdown on protests in January.
Detained Teen Iranian Protester At Risk of Being Sentenced to Death | Iran International
A 19-year-old detained protester is facing charges that could carry the death penalty, people familiar with the matter told Iran International. Mohammad Karimkhani has been accused of “espionage” and “collaboration with Israel” in connection with nationwide protests and allegations that he “made Molotov cocktails and possessed wartime ammunition,” according to the indictment.
Iran Sentences Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi to 7 More Years in Prison | Associated Press
Iran sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to over seven more years in prison after she began a hunger strike, supporters said Sunday . . . Mohammadi’s supporters cited her lawyer, who spoke to Mohammadi. . . . “She has been sentenced to six years in prison for ‘gathering and collusion’ and one and a half years for propaganda and two-year travel ban,” he wrote. She received another two years of internal exile to the city of Khosf, some 740 kilometers (460 miles) southeast of Tehran, the capital, the lawyer added.
As protests continue to erupt across Iran and reports of mass killings mount, internal documents obtained by JNS from inside Iran reveal that the Islamic Republic has been preparing a sweeping overhaul of the Iranian internet, designed to permanently entrench state control over information, communication and digital life. Far from a temporary security response, the documents show a long-term strategy, formally submitted to senior government authorities last August, to restructure Iran’s digital ecosystem in a way that allows the regime to block foreign platforms; criminalize circumvention tools; centralize data and artificial-intelligence capabilities; and force Iranians onto state-approved technology at every level.
As tear gas canisters landed among protesters filling the wide boulevard, the 37-year-old beautician and her friends ran for cover. They sheltered among trees, concealed in darkness pierced only by the glow of streetlights and small fires behind them in the western Iranian city of Karaj. Then gunfire rang out, audible in the video she was taking on her phone. “Don’t be afraid,” she screamed repeatedly, her voice breaking. The crowd joined at the top of their lungs: “Don’t be afraid. We are all together.” “Are they using live bullets?” she cried out. “Shameless! Shameless!” Others joined in the chant, along with cries of “Death to the dictator!” It was a moment of collective boldness on Jan. 8, the night hundreds of thousands of Iranians across the country took to the streets against the cleric-led theocracy that has ruled for nearly 50 years. But after the bloodshed of that night, the beautician, like countless others, has retreated into terrified isolation. She moved in with her mother, afraid to be alone, and has huddled there, anxious and unable to sleep. . . . She fears security agents will come to her building, she wrote. She and her neighbors agreed not to let in anyone who rings the bells.
Money for Corpses in Iran | Alhurra
When Jaafar Al-Yassi went to the forensic medicine center in Iran’s Ilam province to receive the body of his cousin, he did not expect the farewell to turn into a heavy financial bargain. He told Alhurra: “We submitted a request to receive my cousin’s body, but the security authorities informed us that we would not be able to take it unless we paid two billion Iranian tomans—about $16,000. That is an enormous amount.” . . . Activists and relatives of those killed in the protests . . . told Alhurra that forensic medicine centers and hospitals in several Iranian cities have been crowded for weeks with the bodies of protesters. They said many families inside Iran have been unable [to reclaim] the bodies of their loved ones because of the large sums demanded and the written admissions and pledges demanded of them. They added that authorities have informed families that the bodies will be buried in unknown graves if they are not collected.
Iran Bars Protest Detainees from Annual Pardons, Judiciary Chief Says | Iran International
Iran’s judiciary chief on Sunday said detained protesters would be excluded from annual pardons issued to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, when authorities traditionally grant sentence reductions or releases to selected prisoners.
Iran Arrests Leading Reformist Politicians | Financial Times
Iran’s security forces have arrested at least four senior reformist politicians on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the Islamic system, increasing tensions just weeks after the country’s deadliest unrest for years. . . . The state-affiliated Fars news agency reported that Azar Mansouri, head of the Reformist Front—an umbrella organisation representing reformist parties—was arrested at her home on Sunday. Mohsen Aminzadeh, a former deputy foreign minister for American affairs, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a veteran politician, were also detained. The identity of the fourth detainee was not disclosed. State media said some other senior figures had also been summoned to the judiciary.
Iranians Plead with Trump Not to Negotiate with the Islamic Republic | Iran International
Hundreds of messages sent to Iran International from Iranians inside the country urge US President Donald Trump not to negotiate with the Islamic Republic, warning that talks would legitimize repression and betray protesters killed by security forces. . . . “You said you support liberty,” one message from Tehran reads. “Please be the voice of the Iranian people. We are dying in the streets for freedom.”
From ‘Help Is on the Way’ to Nuclear Talks, Iranians Wary of Trump’s Shift | Al-Monitor
That the Trump administration is holding talks with Iran in the wake of the bloodshed is seen by many Iranians as undercutting its earlier pledges to hold the regime accountable. Al-Monitor’s Tehran-based correspondent, whose name is withheld for security purposes, said in a WhatsApp message that “a deep sense of betrayal has begun to take hold” among Iranians. “One promise after another from Donald Trump had raised expectations among many Iranians that his warnings would increase the cost of any crackdown by the regime,” he said. “Many now argue that the US president has effectively abandoned them. The protests and sacrifices, they say, were not meant to pave the way for a better nuclear deal.”
Among Iranian protesters who took Mr. Trump at his word—and said his city was “truly like a battle zone”—was an accountant and father of two in Khorramabad, in western Iran, who asked not to be named for his protection. “Everyone I know is extremely disappointed with all the rumors about negotiations,” he says. “We didn’t die to get a nuclear deal; we wanted these thugs to go. People think Trump has betrayed them very, very badly.” He goes on to say that many Iranians daily track the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and have “become military and navigation experts [who] know precise specifications” of U.S. naval ships. “People are desperate for intervention, because after what we saw with the massacres, we now understand that this regime only knows the language of force, from a party more powerful than them,” he says, adding: “Many would have opposed intervention before the bloodbath on Jan. 8 and 9, but trust me, now it is quite different. We have no one else to cling to, other than America, because it is the only power that can teach [the regime] a painful lesson.”
Iranian Takes Own Life After Urging US Against Deal with Islamic Regime | Jerusalem Post
An Iranian man reportedly took his own life on Sunday after sharing a video of himself pleading for US President Donald Trump not to make a deal with the Islamic Regime. “If you’re watching this, then I’m not around anymore,” said Pouria Hamidi, an Iranian man from the southern port city of Bushehr, in a video shared by Farsi-language Iran International.
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
BBC Persian Journalists Say Iran Monitoring Them and Targeting Their Families | Guardian
Exiled Iranian journalists working for the BBC have been warned their movements are being closely monitored by the state, as they said their families in Iran were being interrogated and persecuted for their reporting. Journalists said family members had been threatened with arrest and the seizure of their assets unless their loved ones stopped reporting on Iranian unrest. The Guardian has been told of instances in which the parents of journalists had been warned that Iran’s security forces knew where and when they worked, as well as the position of their desk in the newsroom.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US Announces New Sanctions on Iranian Oil Network amid Nuclear Talks | Politico
The United States imposed new sanctions tied to a network moving Iranian oil, the State Department said Friday. The move—which sanctions 15 entities, 14 vessels and two individuals — targets Tehran’s “shadow fleet,” a covert shipping network that the Trump administration says helps Iran evade sanctions. That income is used to bankroll terrorist groups and destabilize the region, according to the State Department.
Indian Coast Guard Busts Three Iran-Linked Shadow Fleet Tankers | Maritime Executive
On Friday, the Indian Coast Guard busted three sanctioned tankers allegedly engaged in a “smuggling racket” in the Arabian Sea. . . . AIS data provided by Pole Star Global shows the vessels performed an intricate pattern of voyages and meet-ups that connected known transfer regions for Iranian petroleum—the anchorage areas off Basrah and Khor Fakkan—with ports on India’s west coast. Widespread AIS spoofing in the Iranian oil trade allows vessels to engage in Iran-linked activity while appearing to be on ordinary commercial voyages to other nearby nations. All three ships are on the Treasury OFAC Iran sanctions list under EO 13902, and are believed to be linked to the network of sanctioned Indian national Jugwinder Singh Brar.
IRAN LOBBY
The ‘Iranian Lobby’ and the Rights Watch | Wall Street Journal Editorial
. . . Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, which supports an isolationist U.S. foreign policy . . . previously founded and led the National Iranian American Council, or NIAC, which advocates friendlier U.S. policy toward the Tehran regime. Prof. Foad Izadi, an Iranian expert on America who appears on state TV, was asked about Iran’s lobbying efforts on an debate program released Sunday. “Our way should be discussed off the record,” he said. “Our way was Trita Parsi, right?” his student interlocutor asked. “Yes—no, this is being recorded!” he replied. Mr. Izadi went on to explain that a previous Iranian President sought an “Iranian lobby” in the U.S., but this has proved too weak, more trouble for the regime than it was worth. Mr. Parsi shared a statement by NIAC in reply: “NIAC is 100% an Iranian-American organization and has no connection to the Islamic Republic,” it said, denying that the video clip supports claims to the contrary. In the clip, Mr. Izadi’s interlocutor didn’t mince words: “You made a lobby there called NIAC, which dishonored Iran” by failing in its mission, he said.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Reports Point to Defiance Within IRGC After Mass Killings in Iran | Media Line
Three weeks after the unprecedented massacre of protesters in Iran, carried out largely by forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated Basij militia, there are growing signs of discontent among some IRGC members over the continued use of live fire against civilians. An IRGC member, speaking through an intermediary, said he has not reported to work since Thursday, Jan. 8, and has since refused to return, citing severe depression and ongoing medical treatment. According to the officer, although “shoot-to-kill orders” had been issued against protesters and harsh crackdowns were expected on Thursday and Friday, January 8 and 9, and in the days that followed, he was still shocked by the level of violence and brutality inflicted by IRGC forces on the public. He added that some members of his own family were among the wounded or the disappeared. Unconfirmed reports indicate that in recent weeks the IRGC’s Intelligence Protection Organization, the body responsible for internal security oversight, sent confidential directives to commanders warning that any refusal to carry out orders, whether from their immediate superiors or from the Supreme National Security Council, would be met with severe punishment. . . . Beyond these confidential instructions, the IRGC Intelligence Organization issued an unprecedented public statement immediately after the Jan. 8 uprising, warning against any “insubordination, desertion or disobedience” within the armed forces and threatening prosecution and “decisive action.”
Khamenei Skips Annual Air Force Meeting for First Time in 37 Years | Iran International
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei did not attend the annual February 8 meeting with army air force commanders, breaking a 37-year precedent since assuming leadership. . . . The annual meeting marks the anniversary of February 8, 1979, when a group of air force officers pledged allegiance to Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic and Khamenei’s predecessor as Supreme Leader. The encounter became a symbolic event, and air force personnel and commanders have met Iran’s leader on the same date each year since.
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Monday called on his compatriots to show “resolve” ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution this week. Since the revolution, “foreign powers have always sought to restore the previous situation,” Ali Khamenei said, referring to the period when Iran was under the rule of shah Reza Pahlavi and dependent on the United States. “National power is less about missiles and aircraft and more about the will and steadfastness of the people," the leader said, adding: “Show it again again and frustrate the enemy.”
ISRAEL & IRAN
Netanyahu to Hold Urgent Meeting with Trump Wednesday amid Iran Negotiations | Axios
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved up his visit to Washington and is expected to meet with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss the negotiations with Iran, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. . . . Netanyahu’s statement hinted the prime minister is concerned the U.S. might pursue a narrow nuclear deal with Iran that will not address other Israeli concerns and wants to try and influence the president. . . . The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Netanyahu “believes that any negotiations must include limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles and an end to support for the Iranian axis.”
EUROPE & IRAN
Counter-Terror Police Review ‘Iran Propaganda’ Channel Operating in London | Telegraph
Counter-terror police are reviewing broadcasts by a London-based TV channel accused of being the “propaganda arm” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Telegraph previously revealed that LuaLua TV was a member of the Islamic Radios and Television Union, which was subjected to sanctions by the US treasury department in 2020 for being “owned or controlled by” the IRGC Quds Force. On its online broadcasts and social media channels, LuaLua TV regularly heaps praise on senior Hamas and Hezbollah commanders, whom it describes as martyrs and heroes.
CANADA & IRAN
Latest Alleged Iranian Regime Official Found in Canada Wants His Identity Hidden | Global News
A suspected high-ranking Iranian official caught living in Canada appeared at his deportation hearing on Thursday as the regime he is accused of serving faced growing condemnation for killing protesters. . . . But as the deportation case was about to get underway, the alleged Iranian official asked the Refugee Board to ban news reporters from his hearing and to instead move the case behind closed doors. . . . The IRB later banned reporters from publishing his name. No explanation for the decision was given. All “submissions, documents, or any other records in this proceeding” were also part of the ban.