Iranian protester Erfan Soltani released on bail – report
Iranian protester Erfan Soltani, who was widely reported to be facing imminent execution over anti-government protests, has been released on bail after weeks in detention.
Iranian authorities denied he had been sentenced to death, saying he faced security-related charges.
Soltani’s lawyer, Amir Mousakhani, told AFP that his client was freed on bail on Saturday and was returned all his personal belongings, including his mobile phone.
He said bail was set at two billion tomans (about $12,600 or £9,200).
Maroosha Muzaffar2 February 2026 06:00
Comment: Donald Trump must proceed with caution on Iran
A misstep by America in the Middle East could be catastrophic, so it needs to seek a resolution through negotiation:
Maroosha Muzaffar2 February 2026 05:30
Khamenei warns of ‘regional war’ if Trump attacks Iran
Donald Trump said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran even as tensions escalate, after Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any US attack would trigger a “regional war”.
In comments reported by the state media, he said: “America should know that if it starts a war, this time it will be a regional war.
“These threats are nothing new. In the past as well, American officials repeatedly talked about war and said that all options were on the table including war.
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prays at the grave of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, commemorating the 47th anniversary of his return from exile during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, just outside Tehran, Iran, Saturday, 31 January 2026
“Now this man (Trump) too, keeps claiming that they have brought aircraft carriers and warplanes. The Iranian people should not and will not be frightened by such things.
“We are not the ones who start a war and we do not want to attack any country, but if America attacks or harms Iran, the Iranian nation will deliver a strong blow and any war started by America will spread across the region.”
Maroosha Muzaffar2 February 2026 05:00
Iranians living abroad hold protests
Iranians living abroad staged large-scale rallies across major cities worldwide to show solidarity with protesters in Iran and condemn the Islamic Republic’s crackdown, Iran International reported.
Tens of thousands, including about 100,000 in Toronto alone, marched in cities across North America, Europe, and Australia, calling on the international community to take stronger “action against Tehran’s theocracy”.
Large numbers of demonstrators gathered in cities including London, Washington DC, Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Cologne, while earlier on Saturday, protests were held in London, Berlin, Paris, Hamburg, Stockholm, Dusseldorf, Manchester, Newcastle and numerous other locations, the outlet reported.
Maroosha Muzaffar2 February 2026 04:00
Confirmed death toll more than 6,700 in Iran’s deadly crackdown
The total number of confirmed deaths in Iran’s deadly crackdown has hit 6,713, while 17,091 cases are under investigation, according to US-based HRANA rights group.
Of those confirmed dead, 137 were under 18. Another 6,305 were reported as “protesters”, 214 were members of government-affiliated forces and 57 were “civilian, non-protesters”.
The number of injured civilians stands at 11,021, with 84 student arrests, 295 cases of forced confessions, and 11,028 summonses reported.
Iranians at an anti-government protest in Tehran (UGC via AP, file) (UGC)
Harriette Boucher2 February 2026 03:00
In pictures: Buildings damaged by explosions in Iran from suspected gas leak
An apartment building is seen after an explosion in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran (AP)
Video grab shows damage after an explosion in a building in Bandar Abbas, a port in southern Iran on the Gulf coast (UGC)
Image shows damage after an explosion in a building in Bandar Abbas (UGC)
Harriette Boucher2 February 2026 02:01
‘Ball in Iran’s court’, says US Nato ambassador
Matt Whitaker, the US representative to Nato, said that the Trump administration had given Iran an “ultimatum” and that the “ball is in [Iran’s] court”.
Speaking to Fox News, Mr Whitaker said that Donald Trump had been clear on his demands and would not be patient with Iran.
He said: “The president has been very clear on Iran, you can’t have a nuclear weapon, and you need to stop killing protesters in your streets, and that’s a pretty clear red line.
“President Trump is backing that up with this armada that is sitting off the coast of Iran and in the region, and so certainly that is a show of strength, but it is also an offering for Iran.”
Harriette Boucher2 February 2026 01:03
Watch: ‘Human chain’ on Golden Gate Bridge calls for change in iran’Human chain’ on Golden Gate Bridge calls for change in iran
Harriette Boucher2 February 2026 00:00
‘We’ll find out’: Trump responds to Khamenei claims that US attack would spark regional conflict
Donald Trump has responded to comments from Iran’s leader that a US strike could cause a regional war, saying that if a deal wasn’t reached “we’ll find out whether or not he was right”.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned earlier on Sunday that any US attack would result in a “regional war” in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters in response to the comments, President Trump said: “We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there.
“Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”
Harriette Boucher1 February 2026 23:06
Editorial: Donald Trump must proceed with caution on Iran
According to Donald Trump, Iran does “want to do a deal” which would, in theory, preserve the power of the present regime in return for ending its nuclear weapons programme. On the face of it, that is an offer that the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cannot refuse.
It is an offer that he cannot refuse, in the old mafiosi sense, because the overwhelming firepower available to the United States could destroy the current Iranian state. It is also an offer that, rationally, it would be wise for the regime to accept for the basic purposes of self-preservation.
After all, despite the president’s earlier vocal support for the Iranian protesters and promise that “help is coming”, the only tangible effect of US policy has been to deter the mass hangings of anti-regime Iranians arrested in the recent disturbances.
Harriette Boucher1 February 2026 23:05