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On Monday, Feb. 2, 2026 (13 Bahman 1404) , Esmail Baghaei said the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned representatives of European Union member states after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was added to the EU’s list of terrorist organizations.
Mohammadreza Orei, a prominent figure in Iranian handball, announced on his Instagram page that he is stepping away from the Iran national handball team in protest over the crackdown and killings in Iran. In his farewell note, he wrote that wearing the national jersey has always been his “dream,” “love,” and “a piece of my heart,” adding that his decision is “not a goodbye, but a silent cry of solidarity—when people’s pain becomes more important than any match.”
A notice posted in an internal channel at a state-run hospital instructs staff to keep bed capacity available so the facility can rapidly admit patients in the event of an emergency described as (war) . The message was shared by a healthcare worker who says that during the 12-day war , the same hospital—whose name they asked not to be published—reportedly received only military patients due to its location, and that the new directive appears aimed at maintaining readiness to handle a surge in military casualties if hostilities escalate again.
In remarks carried by Iranian media on Feb. 1, 2026 , Hassan Khomeini condemned the European Union’s move to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, describing Europe as an “old empire” and a “toothless lion” that “can’t control” issues like Ukraine and Greenland. In the same speech, he also claimed foreign-backed “coup” efforts had failed and urged domestic unity against what he framed as external pressure.
Reports from Iran-focused outlets say students across dozens of universities have launched a widening wave of protests and strike-style actions—most visibly through boycotts of end-of-term exams —in response to the January crackdown. Separate reporting also describes fresh student gatherings, including at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , calling for the release of detainees, underscoring that campus mobilization is becoming a national pressure point again.
Shoja Khalilzadeh , a defender for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national football team, sparked controversy on Sunday, 12 Bahman 1404 , after responding to a reporter’s question about his goal celebration during days of public grief. In a pointed reply, he said: “Those who create controversies are sitting abroad. First send your father, mother, and wife into the streets, then talk.” Critics say the comments amount to an indirect acknowledgment of the killing of Iranian citizens during recent protests. Khalilzadeh has previously told President Masoud Pezeshkian that players aim to raise the Islamic Republic flag in the United States, and, a year after the 12-day Iran–Israel war , described himself—without mentioning Iran—as a “soldier of the Islamic Republic.”
IranWire reports that on Saturday, 11 Bahman 1404 , two more relatives of Abolfazl Damnejani , a citizen from Mashhad, were detained. Sources close to the family say security forces raided the relatives’ home and arrested his two cousins, Hamed Mansouri and Amir Mansouri . IranWire adds that Damnejani himself has been in custody since 20 Dey , with his whereabouts still unknown.
Iran’s government under Masoud Pezeshkian has reportedly launched a new SMS system called “Khabar” that sends “hopeful” messages to citizens. These texts have been received through Iran’s major mobile operators— Hamrah-e Aval (MCI) , Irancell , and Rightel —suggesting a coordinated, nationwide distribution channel for public messaging amid heightened domestic pressures.
On Sunday, 12 Bahman 1404 , Ali Khamenei delivered a speech to supporters marking the “Ten-Day Dawn” celebrations at the Imam Khomeini Hosseiniyeh , warning the United States that if conflict erupts, it would become a regional war . The remarks come amid reports of a growing U.S. military build-up in the region and rising speculation about a possible confrontation involving Iran.
Former political prisoner Sakhavat Salimi shared a video on social media saying his family has no information about his son Mohammadali . Salimi says that after the nights of lethal crackdowns, his daughter received a call from an unknown, withheld number claiming: “Your brother has been killed—come collect his body.” Salimi, who lives in Ardabil , says he then spent two weeks searching for his son and his remains across various facilities and cemeteries in Tehran and Karaj , but found neither. He identified his missing son as Mohammadali Salimi , born in 1982 , saying: “There is no trace of him. I don’t know what to do.”
Behnam Yakhchali , an Iran national-team basketball player, announced on Instagram that he is withdrawing from the national team. He wrote that wearing the national jersey has always been—and remains—a great honor for him, but he cannot stay indifferent to the “state of the Iranian people’s hearts,” signaling a protest-driven decision tied to the country’s current turmoil.
Iran’s Nursing Organization said in a statement issued on Sunday, 12 Bahman 1404 , that during the nights of the protest killings— Thursday 18 Dey and Friday 19 Dey — three nurses were killed and three others were injured amid the violence surrounding the crackdown on demonstrators.