EconoTicker

Ukraine plans to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, according to a statement from the office of Gideon Sa'ar after a call last week with Andrii Sybiha. The Times of Israel reported that Kyiv’s embassy said the decision is not yet finalized, but that Ukraine is highly likely to follow the EU’s recent move to designate the IRGC.

According to Channel 12, Israeli officials plan to present three explicit demands at a Tuesday meeting with Steve Witkoff—ahead of his expected Friday talks in Istanbul with Abbas Araghchi. The report says Israel wants any potential U.S.–Iran agreement to include: no Iranian nuclear program, no ballistic-missile program, and no support for armed proxy groups. It adds that Benjamin Netanyahu will attend alongside Eyal Zamir and David Barnea, as Jerusalem seeks to shape Washington’s negotiating red lines before the Istanbul track resumes.

Diplomats told the Financial Times that the planned Friday meeting between the United States and Iran in Turkey is expected to focus primarily on the nuclear file, rather than broader issues such as ballistic missiles or Tehran’s support for regional proxies—suggesting a sequencing approach aimed at restarting diplomacy with a narrower agenda before expanding to harder topics.

The UN Development Coordination Office said António Guterres has appointed Christine Weigand of Austria as the UN Resident Coordinator in Iran, with the host government’s approval, effective Feb. 1, 2026. Weigand most recently served as UNICEF’s representative in Armenia and has prior Iran experience, including serving as UNICEF deputy representative in the country.

In an interview with a German outlet, Hannah Neumann—a member of the European Parliament—said the violence used by the Islamic Republic during what she described as Iran’s popular uprising was “unimaginable,” adding that “almost everyone” has lost a relative or friend. She argued the crackdown was designed to deter any future protests, claimed the death toll could be in the tens of thousands, and alleged security forces shot unarmed civilians at close range. Neumann warned the danger is ongoing, citing large numbers of political prisoners facing potential execution, and urged sustained international pressure and persistent media/social-media attention, down to individual cases of those at immediate risk.

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Ali Khamenei, said the planned Friday meeting in Istanbul between Steve Witkoff and Abbas Araghchi will begin as indirect negotiations, but that if an understanding emerges, the format could rapidly shift to direct talks—signaling a potential attempt to reopen a diplomatic channel after months of escalation.

Axios reports—citing two sources familiar with the planning—that Witkoff (the White House envoy) and Araghchi are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, to discuss a potential nuclear agreement, in what would be the first direct contact since talks collapsed and last summer’s 12-day conflict reshaped the negotiating backdrop. Reuters also reported the planned Friday meeting, citing a U.S. official, underscoring that Washington and Tehran are reopening a diplomatic channel amid elevated regional tensions.

Russia says it is continuing its efforts to reduce tensions around Iran, and noted that it has long proposed a mechanism to process or store Iran’s enriched uranium. The statement positions Moscow’s offer as a potential technical pathway for de-escalation—by moving sensitive material out of the immediate crisis zone—while broader political negotiations remain unresolved.

U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to meet Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in Istanbul to relaunch nuclear negotiations—marking the first planned direct contact since diplomacy broke down and the brief 12-day conflict last summer reshaped the security backdrop. The meeting is expected to pair U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi, and could also involve regional participation from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, according to officials and diplomats. The agenda is expected to center on Iran’s enrichment program and possible confidence-building steps in exchange for sanctions relief—while Washington and Tehran remain far apart on red lines such as enrichment limits, missiles, and regional proxy activity. The plan was first reported by Axios and later confirmed by officials.

Some outlets and social-media accounts claimed the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had “withdrawn,” but multiple open reporting points the other way: U.S. officials have said the carrier and accompanying warships entered the U.S. Central Command area and the broader U.S. posture in/around the Middle East continues to expand, with additional logistics movements and transport flights reported across the Europe-to–Middle East corridor.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said in a televised interview that he expects the United States to carry out a military strike on Iran within the next 48 hours, stressing that his view is not based on classified intelligence and is instead drawn from his “experience” and reading of events. The comment has not been backed by any official confirmation from Washington.

The consular office of the Embassy of Italy in Tehran has suspended operations until further notice, according to an official notice. The statement says essential, urgent, non-deferrable services for Italian citizens will still be provided, while previously scheduled appointments are being postponed.