Good morning.
EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the situation in Iran. Ministers are expected to impose travel bans and asset freezes on Iranian officials over the violent crackdown on protesters and to discuss the designation of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is in favor:
"This week, Europe has a historic opportunity, and duty, to finally designate the Iranian regime's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. This is more than symbolic. This matters. Europe has a responsibility to act. The millions of Iranians living under oppression look to us for moral clarity and leadership. The thousands of people murdered on the streets deserve a semblance of justice. The people of Iran deserve to be free. Their oppressors should find no safe haven."
France is also in favor. (Read our piece from yesterday.)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X on January 28:
"Iran: There can be no impunity. Together with our European partners, we will adopt sanctions tomorrow in Brussels against those responsible for these abuses. They will be banned from entering European territory, and their assets will be frozen. France will support the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations."
According to HRANA’s latest aggregated data, as of January 28, the total number of confirmed fatalities has reached 6,373. Of these, 5,993 were protesters, 113 were children under the age of 18, 214 were forces affiliated with the government, and 53 were non-protesters/civilians.
Foreign Minister Araqhchi: Iran Has 'Fingers On The Trigger'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi warned on January 28 that the Islamic republic's armed forces have their "fingers on the trigger" and are ready to deliver a powerful response to any US military strike.
Araqhchi said that, following the 12-day conflict with Israel last year, Iran is now capable of responding “more strongly, rapidly, and profoundly” to any attack.
Tehran, however, he said, was still open to a "fair, equitable, and mutually beneficial" nuclear agreement.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, also issued a warning on January 28 via a post on X, stating that in the event of an attack, the Islamic republic would deliver an "immediate, all-out, and unprecedented" response, targeting "the heart of Tel Aviv and all supporters of the aggressor."
Rubio: Protests In Iran Will Flare Up Again
Speaking at a meeting of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was currently no plan to attack Iran but that building up military forces in the region was "wise and prudent."
In summary, Rubio said:
- The regime's crackdown tactics were "horrifying," noting that Iranian snipers killed protesters.
- The regime is "weaker than it has ever been," unable to fix protesters' main issue: economic stagnation worsened by sanctions.
- Protests have quieted for now but will likely "spark up again."
- In response to a question about the US State Department's estimate of the number of people killed in the protests, Rubio said: "Definitely in the thousands."
Glimpses Of Iran's Brutal Crackdown Trickle Out Despite Internet Blackout
Despite the Internet blackout, videos showing the extent of Iran's crackdown on protests continue to trickle out. Iranians inside the country have told RFE/RL's Radio Farda how security forces engaged in mass shootings and arrested tens of thousands before quiet returned to the streets of Iran.
German Chancellor: Regime's Days Are Numbered
German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz said on January 28 that the Iranian government’s "days are numbered."
“A regime that can only hold onto power through sheer violence and terror against its own population: its days are numbered,” Merz said at a press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
He added: “It could be a matter of weeks but this regime has no legitimacy to govern the country."
Ted Cruz: US Should Arm Protesters
In a post on X, the Republican senator for Texas, Ted Cruz, said that the US should be arming Iranian protesters now.
Cruz also wrote that overthrowing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would "make America much, much safer."
Trump Calls On Iran To 'Make A Deal' Or Next US Attack Will Be 'Far Worse'
Latest from our news desk here:
US President Donald Trump has reiterated his call for Iran to "make a deal" over its nuclear program or face a "far worse attack" than the one aimed at the country last year when US and Israeli air strikes pummeled Iranian nuclear sites.
Trump has been threatening military strikes against Iran in the wake of a brutal crackdown on antiestablishment protests that rights groups and eyewitness accounts say left thousands dead.
The United States in recent days has deployed jet fighters, air defenses, and what Trump has called an "armada" to the Middle East, a move that has heightened tensions with Iran and increased the likelihood of military action according to experts.
"Hopefully Iran will quickly “Come to the Table” and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties," Trump said in a social media post on January 28.
Iran Says No Talks With US Amid 'Threats Of Military Action'
Iran's foreign minister said negotiations with Washington cannot take place in an atmosphere of threats of military action in response to a deadly crackdown on anti-establishment protests.
The United States is deploying jet fighters, air defenses, and an air carrier with thousands of troops to the Middle East in a move that has heightened tensions with Iran and increased the likelihood of some sort of military action against Tehran.
US President Donald Trump threatened military strikes against Iran after the authorities, according to several rights groups, killed thousands of people in the crackdown. Trump has backed away slightly from the threats, although he has not ruled out an attack on the Islamic republic and said on January 27 that US warships had arrived in Middle East waters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted by the ISNA state news agency on January 28 as saying that "conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful."
He added that he had "no contact" with US envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days and that "Iran has not sought negotiations." Trump said in an interview with Axios on January 26 that Tehran has "called on numerous occasions."
Iran Executes Man For Allegedly Spying For Israel, Second In A Month
Iran has executed a man on charges of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, state media reported on January 28, the second such execution in less than a month.
Hamidreza Sabet Esmaeilpur was hanged after being convicted of espionage, the judiciary's Mizan news agency said.
He was arrested in April 2025.The judiciary alleged Sabet had transmitted classified documents to Israel and was involved in sabotage operations targeting Defense Ministry missile facilities in 2022.
Iran hanged Ali Ardestani on January 7 on similar espionage charges. State media claimed he had confessed to sending information to Mossad operatives in exchange for cryptocurrency. Rights groups have for years accused Iran of extracting forced confessions.
Pompeo: Iran 'Can't Be Negotiated With'
Mike Pompeo, former US secretary of state during Donald Trump's first presidential term, says the United States should not hope for an agreement with Iran's leadership.
In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said that he believes the Islamic republic will only back down by force.
He published part of the interview on his X account, writing: "The Iranian dictatorship may say it wants an agreement, but any arrangement that keeps this regime in power is inherently incompatible with regional security. This is not a regime that can be negotiated with."
At the same time, Pompeo welcomed the dispatch of US warships to Iran and emphasized the need to maintain strong US pressure on the Iranian government from abroad in order to help the people inside the country determine their own destiny.