2026/02/04Ex-US Hostages Urge Washington to Halt Deportations of Iranian Refugees
Barry Rosen and John Limbert—two former U.S. embassy hostages in Iran—wrote in an English-language Iran International op-ed that the U.S. should stop deporting Iranian asylum seekers and vulnerable Iranian nationals , arguing it is incompatible to encourage Iranian protesters and warn Americans about Iran’s hostage-taking record while simultaneously sending at-risk people back into Iran’s “violent repression.” They also urged the U.S. Congress to demand explanations from the administration over the deportations.
2026/02/04Motaki: Don’t Expect Concrete Gains—Talks May Only Deter War
Iranian MP Manouchehr Motaki said there should be no expectation of practical, tangible outcomes from negotiations with the United States, arguing the main value of talks is that they could discourage Washington from imposing a war and reduce the probability of conflict —a framing that signals a defensive, risk-management rationale rather than optimism about a deal.
2026/02/04Iran Bar Official: Reports of Lawyer Arrests, No Verified Details Yet
A vice president of Tehran’s Central Bar Association said there are reports of several lawyers being arrested in Tehran and other cities , but that no reliable, official information is yet available on the reasons for the arrests. Separate coverage in Iranian and diaspora outlets has echoed a similar point—saying the Bar does not yet have a precise count , while follow-ups mention ongoing efforts to track cases.
2026/02/04Video Claim: Close-Range Shooting of Two Unarmed Civilians in Mashhad
A user-submitted video described as “Mashhad, Friday 19 Dey” alleges that government security forces opened direct fire at very close range on two unarmed civilians . The footage and its caption are not independently verified , and there is no confirmed public information in this report on identities, injuries, or the exact circumstances of the incident.
2026/02/04Mashhad: Air-Defense Fire Likely Behind “Explosions” Reports
Reports on social media said that around 19:20 on Tuesday, 14 Bahman , loud blasts and gunfire-like sounds were heard in Mashhad near Shahid Borunsi garrison (IRGC Imam Reza base) and the Khatam al-Anbiya air-defense area . Follow-up posts claimed the noise was air-defense firing rather than explosions. There is no official confirmation so far, and the cause, target, damage, or casualties remain unverified .
2026/02/03NYT: Tehran Signals Uranium-to-Russia Option via Larijani–Putin Channel
The The New York Times reported, citing two informed officials, that Ali Larijani recently met Vladimir Putin and delivered a message from Ali Khamenei indicating Iran could again accept shipping its enriched uranium to Russia—similar to the JCPOA mechanism—as part of a potential nuclear arrangement. In parallel, the Kremlin has publicly said Russia has long offered to process or store Iran’s enriched uranium as a de-escalation option.
2026/02/03HRANA: Arrests Top 50,000 as Death Toll Climbs to 6,854
HRANA, the news agency of a U.S.-based human rights activists group, said Iran authorities have arrested at least 50,235 people during the crackdown on nationwide protests, adding that new arrests are still ongoing. The report records 106 student arrests, 303 cases of forced confessions, and 11,046 summonses, while logged protest incidents total 666 locations across 209 cities in 31 provinces. HRANA said that, based on its latest aggregated data through the end of Day 37 of protests, confirmed fatalities have reached 6,854 , with 11,280 additional cases still under review.
2026/02/03Iran’s Internet Enters a “New Architecture” After Winter Crackdown
Expert assessments of Iran’s internet conditions suggest a fundamental shift in how filtering is enforced, with the network moving into a new architecture following the suppression of the Dey 1404 protests. The watchdog group Filterban , which tracks and analyzes Iran’s internet policymaking, says the country is no longer experiencing merely periodic disruption or shutdowns; rather, technical evidence indicates the network is being redesigned toward a new model. Separately, the newspaper Shargh , citing multiple experts, reports that what users now face is a suspended, exhausting, and unpredictable connectivity environment—described as the outcome of a structural change in Iran’s filtering approach.
2026/02/03Toronto March Draws 150,000, Police Report “Zero Incidents”
Toronto Police Service said roughly 150,000 people joined a large solidarity march by Iranians and supporters in Toronto on Monday, adding the event was peaceful with no reported incidents and crediting detailed planning and on-the-ground work by officers.
2026/02/03Khomeini Slams EU as a “Toothless Lion”
Iranian cleric Hassan Khomeini was quoted as calling the European Union an “impotent entity” and “a lion without teeth,” arguing it “can’t control Ukraine nor Greenland,” in remarks circulating amid Iranian reactions to the EU’s move to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
2026/02/03Ali Shamkhani: “We will protect Ali Khamenei at full force”
In comments to Al Mayadeen, Ali Shamkhani said the Islamic Republic is “protecting Khamenei with full force,” describing the leader as the “main pillar” of the system and warning that any harm—even minor—would escalate into a far bigger crisis across the Islamic world. Referencing the “12-day war,” he also claimed the kind of security breach he attributed to Israel “will never be repeated.”
2026/02/03Iran detains three “17 signatories” as crackdown widens
Vida Rabbani, along with former political prisoners Abdollah Momeni and Mehdi Mahmoudian, were arrested on Saturday, 11 Bahman 1404 (Jan. 31, 2026) , according to reports. As of the time of reporting, no details had been released about the arresting body or the charges. The three are among the signatories of last week’s “17” statement, which described a peaceful transition away from the Islamic Republic as an “unstoppable necessity,” backed ongoing protests, and emphasized Iranians’ rights to freedom, justice, and self-determination in Iran.
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