TOP STORIES
Trump Says He Might Send Second Carrier to Strike Iran if Talks Fail | Axios
President Trump told Axios in an interview on Tuesday that he’s considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to prepare for military action if negotiations with Iran fail. . . . “Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told Axios. Trump said he expects the second round of U.S.-Iran talks to take place next week. . . . Trump expressed optimism about the diplomatic path, claiming Iran “wants to make a deal very badly” and is engaging much more seriously than during previous talks due to the military threat. “Last time they didn’t believe I would do it,” Trump said, alluding to his decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. “They overplayed their hand.” This time the talks are “very different,” he said. . . . Trump said it was a “no-brainer” for any deal to cover Iran’s nuclear program, but that he thought it should also address Iran’s ballistic missile stockpiles.
U.S. Weighs Seizing Tankers Carrying Iranian Oil to Pressure Tehran | Wall Street Journal
Trump administration officials have discussed whether to seize additional tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil but have held off, concerned about Tehran’s near-certain retaliation and the impact on global oil markets, U.S. officials said.
Iran Preparing for Possible US Strike—Experts | Jerusalem Post
The Islamic Republic is likely preparing for the possibility of a US strike, experts told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday after reviewing high-resolution Sunday satellite images of the Isfahan nuclear complex. Center and southern entrances to the nuclear facility have been covered with earth, and the northernmost tunnel entrance, which features additional passive defensive measures, has also been backfilled with soil, the images revealed. “Backfilling the tunnel entrances would help dampen any potential airstrike and also make ground access in a special forces raid to seize or destroy any highly enriched uranium that may be housed inside, or the more difficult,” the Institute of Science and International Security said.
UANI IN THE NEWS
UANI Senior Advisor Jason M. Brodsky Comments on Recent Developments re Iran | i24
Brodsky: “How we got to this moment is not because of the nuclear program, which is buried under rubble—it’s because of the largest massacre of Iranians in the contemporary history of the Islamic Republic.”
The Era of Quiet Tolerance May Be Ending for Iran’s Dark Fleet | gCaptain
Iran’s oil exports edged lower in January 2026, but the modest decline offers little comfort to sanctions enforcers. According to tracking data compiled by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), Iran shipped an estimated 46.9 million barrels of crude during the month, equivalent to about 1.51 million barrels per day. That represents a drop of roughly 3% from December levels, with total export revenues estimated at just over $3 billion. . . . UANI Senior Advisor Charlie Brown commented, “Sanctions enforcement is going global. If dark fleet activity continues unchecked, Malaysia risks shifting from transit point with assumed plausible deniability to primary pressure point on a facilitator in Iran’s oil trade.”
[UANI Senior Advisor] Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, said any pressure on Trump from Netanyahu could be significant because the Israelis are “not interested in an agreement” with Tehran and are alarmed by the talks in Oman. Netanyahu’s government and the Trump administration also have fundamentally different understandings about what was accomplished in the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. “The Israelis thought they mowed the lawn. The president thought he burned down the house. The Israelis want to mow the lawn again. And I don’t know if the Americans do at this point,” Takeyh said.
The Iranian negotiating team is trying to be creative. It is trying to sustain its red lines, including no freeze on enrichment and no deal without easing sanctions, while accommodating some U.S. demands. The talks have been limited to the nuclear issue, as Iran has insisted. Iran has long denied any plans to develop nuclear weapons. But the Iranian team has seemingly offered to cap its enrichment at low levels and even dilute some of the highly enriched uranium that has been a source of concern for the international community. Presumably, this means acceptance of inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency to verify its compliance.
DIPLOMACY
Netanyahu Flies to D.C. to Keep Israel from Being Outflanked on Iran | Wall Street Journal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making an urgent trip to Washington, as concern grows in Israel that the U.S. and Iran could agree to a nuclear deal that falls short of its requirements for ending the threat from Tehran. . . . Israeli officials said the country’s demands include the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear-enrichment facilities, limits on Iran’s missile program, and the end of Iranian support for regional militias like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. They also worry a deal could bring sanctions relief that shores up the regime in Tehran as it grapples with the strongest wave of public discontent in years.
Iran’s Missile Program Tops Israel’s Concerns as Netanyahu Meets Trump | New York Times
The Israeli prime minister is trying to pressure Mr. Trump to get Iran to change its position by agreeing to limit its missile program. And if that does not work, he wants to convince Mr. Trump to approve another military campaign aimed at the missile sites, according to Israeli and U.S. officials.
Iran Says It Won’t Negotiate over Its Missile Capabilities | Reuters
Iran's missile capabilities are its red line and are not a subject to be negotiated, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader said on Wednesday, as Tehran and Washington eye a new round of talks to avert conflict.
Tehran Talks Soft Abroad, Tough at Home | Iran International
Tehran appears to be speaking in two voices about diplomacy with Washington: one calibrated for foreign capitals, the other aimed inward, shaped by fear, factionalism, and propaganda. The widening gap between the two suggests not tactical ambiguity but strategic confusion—and it is most visible in the conduct of Iran’s foreign minister and chief negotiator, Abbas Araghchi. Days after returning from Muscat, where he exchanged messages with US envoys in indirect talks, Araghchi embarked on an extended media tour at home, laying out rigid red lines that either were not conveyed to the Americans or were deliberately softened in private. . . . Abroad, he has described the Muscat talks as “a good beginning” on a long path toward confidence-building. The two messages are difficult to reconcile. Together, they suggest an intention to stretch out negotiations—an approach the United States under President Donald Trump has shown little interest in accommodating.
Qatar Emir, Trump Discuss De-escalation as US, Iran Pursue Diplomacy | Reuters
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed efforts for regional de-escalation and stability in a phone call, the Emiri Diwan said on Wednesday, as Washington and Tehran pursue diplomatic solutions to Iran’s nuclear program.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS
U.S. forces in Qatar’s al-Udeid, the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East, put missiles into truck launchers as tensions with Iran ratcheted up since January, analysis of satellite images showed, meaning they could be moved more quickly. The decision to keep the Patriot missiles in mobile trucks rather than semi-static launcher stations—meaning they could rapidly deploy to strike or be moved defensively in case of an Iranian attack—shows how risks heightened as frictions grew. . . . It was not clear on Tuesday whether the missiles were still in the [trucks].
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
The Islamic regime has carried out extrajudicial killings of injured protesters inside hospitals and arrested countless medical personnel suspected of treating those wounded by Tehran, an Iranian doctor told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. Medical facilities and schools have been used by regime forces to locate, identify, and arrest individuals who joined the protests demonstrating against the country’s worsening economic crisis, said Dr. R, a member of the Aida Health Alliance whose name is being withheld for security reasons.
No Protesters Released as Tehran Offers Clemency to More than 2,100 Convicts | Euronews
None of the people involved in recent nationwide protesters in Iran were included among the more than 2,100 people granted pardons or reduced sentences by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, according to the judiciary. The announcement comes ahead of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Friday, an occasion that—along with other significant national dates—has been marked by the ayatollah approving similar pardons in past years.
Bodies Piled Up, Moved by Bulldozers After Karaj Massacre, Witnesses Say | Iran International
Bulldozers moved piles of bodies of those killed in the Gohardasht district of Karaj during the January crackdown on nationwide protests, in what witnesses describe as a deliberate attempt to instill fear after corpses were stacked in public squares. A resident of Gohardasht told Iran International that on the nights of January 8 and 9, large numbers of armed forces were lying in ambush in alleyways as heavy gunfire echoed through the area. According to the witness, teenagers struck in the head and face by pellet rounds sought refuge inside residential buildings. The resident said at least 16 people were killed in the alley where he lives, adding that security forces also fired at the doors of apartment buildings.
Iran Pressures Families of Protest Detainees to Attend State-Run Rallies | Iran International
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ intelligence organization and Iran’s Intelligence Ministry pressured families of some detainees linked to nationwide protests to attend a pro-state rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 revolution, sources told Iran International. Security officials informed the families their presence at the February 11 pro-state march must be “verifiable,” including by taking photos and videos of themselves at the rally and sending the material to security bodies, informed sources said. The officials, according to the sources, coupled the demand with threats and sustained psychological pressure, telling families that only if they comply might their detained relatives be released, spared execution, or see their sentences reduced.
‘Death to Khamenei’ Chanted During Islamic Revolution Celebrations in Tehran | BBC News
Chants of “death to Khamenei” and “death to the dictator” have been heard during celebrations for the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Footballers, Wrestlers, Teenagers: The Athletes Iran Lost in January | IranWire
. . . [P]reliminary figures indicate that more than 20 footballers and over 30 athletes were killed during the 2026 protests, without a foreign war and without a single missile being fired.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Adani Says US Asked for Information over Iran Oil Imports | Bloomberg
Adani Enterprises Ltd. said the US has sought information from the company after a media report alleged it imported Iranian oil products into India, raising potential sanctions concerns.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Hundreds of Iranian cyberattacks targeting Israelis—including senior government and defense officials, academics and journalists—were detected and foiled in recent months, the Shin Bet security agency and National Cyber Directorate say.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran marked the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution on Wednesday as the country’s theocracy remains under pressure . . . The commemoration represented a spit-screen view of life in Iran, with state television showing hundreds of thousands of people across the country attending pro-government rallies, which included the burning of American flags and cries of “Death to America!” The night before, as government-sponsored fireworks lit the dark sky, witnesses heard shouts from people’s homes in the Iranian capital, Tehran, of “Death to the dictator!” Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkian got on stage at Azadi Square in Tehran and insisted that Iran is willing to negotiate over its nuclear program as fledgling nuclear talks talks with America hang in the balance.
CONGRESS & IRAN
‘Help Is on the Way for Iran’ Becoming More Real by Day, US Senator Says | Iran International
“To the brave people of Iran: President Trump has always heard your cries and demands for justice. The regime has proven yet again it’s incapable of real change,” [U.S. Sen. Lindsey] Graham posted on X. “If this regime continues the course they are on, then I believe President Trump’s statement that help is on the way is becoming more real by the day,” he added.
EUROPE & IRAN
German Energy Firm Probes Executive over Alleged Iran Regime Ties—Report | Iran International
Germany’s major energy company EnBW is investigating a senior executive—an Iranian-born woman in a key strategic role—over allegations of possible links to Iran’s government, Focus reported on Tuesday. The executive has a brother serving in Iran’s parliament, her father is a former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) agent, and she is allegedly involved in ongoing business ties with her family, the report said.
France should lead an international coalition committed to toppling Iran’s clerical leadership, former prime minister Gabriel Attal said Wednesday, as authorities continue to violently suppress mass protests that began late last year. Attal, who leads Renaissance—the centrist party founded by President Emmanuel Macron—said participating states would strengthen sanctions, identify officials linked to repression and prepare for a possible political transition to avoid chaos.
TURKEY & IRAN
Turkey Says It Could Be Dragged into Nuclear Arms Race over Iran | Bloomberg
Turkey would consider joining a regional nuclear arms race over concerns about Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said late Monday. . . . Referring to talks between the US and Iran that took place in Oman on Friday and are scheduled to continue this week, Fidan said that air strikes “would not bring about regime change” in Tehran and added that the Middle East cannot withstand another war.
HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Iranian Diplomats Ferrying Millions in Cash to Hezbollah | Iran International
Iran International has obtained information alleging that senior Iranian diplomats transported large amounts of cash to Beirut in recent months, using diplomatic passports to move funds to Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The transfers involved at least six Iranian diplomats who carried suitcases filled with US dollars on commercial flights to Lebanon, according to the information. The cash deliveries formed part of efforts to help Hezbollah rebuild its finances and operational capacity after sustaining significant blows to its leadership, weapons stockpiles and funding networks.
CANADA & IRAN
Senate Hearing Discusses Iran Regime Affiliates Living Freely in Canada | Iran International
The Canadian Senate held a hearing on Tuesday on a new immigration and border security bill with much of the discussion focusing on individuals allegedly linked to the Islamic Republic living freely in Canada. . . . Among those who testified were Ardeshir Zarezadeh, a lawyer and president of the International Centre for Human Rights . . . “Thousands of Iranians have been killed in the streets simply for protesting, while at the same time individuals affiliated with the Iranian regime are able to live comfortably in Canada and benefit from Canadian values,” Zarezadeh said. He called the bill’s emphasis on asylum deadlines a “misdirection” and said Canada already has tools to identify and deport Islamic Republic agents—the failure is in “weak visa screening systems prior to entry.”
ENVIRONMENT
Iran’s Shadow Fleet of Old Tankers a Ticking Bomb for Sea Life, Say Experts | Guardian
Decrepit oil tankers in Iran’s sanctions-busting shadow fleet are a “ticking time bomb,” and it is only a matter of time before there is a catastrophic environmental disaster, maritime intelligence analysts have warned.