Trump has not made up his mind on military strike against Iran, US official says
Donald Trump has not made up his mind on whether to carry out a military strike against Iran, a US official told Reuters.
The official said Iran’s “weakened state” made it advantageous for the US to press for a deal on denuclearisation and other issues.
Earlier, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told a congressional committee that the Iranian government was probably weaker than it had ever been and that its economy was in collapse, predicting that street protests would erupt again.
However, according to multiple US intelligence reports, while the economic conditions that sparked the protests remain, the upper ranks of the Iranian government appear to be intact, with no major fractures, two people familiar with the matter told the agency.
Stuti Mishra29 January 2026 06:35
Ted Cruz dragged online for saying the US should arm protesters in Iran
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been mocked online after suggesting that the US should be arming protesters in Iran amid the ongoing ICE chaos in Minnesota that has seen two demonstrators shot dead by federal agents.
Social media users were quick to point out the “real-time hypocrisy” of Mr Cruz’s comments, following the recent protests in Minneapolis, which resulted in the deaths of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was reportedly armed, and Renee Good.
Stuti Mishra29 January 2026 06:00
Iran appears to ease internet blackout, report sasys
Iranian authorities appear to have partially eased internet restrictions imposed earlier this month, though connectivity remains uneven and heavily controlled, according to reports.
Data from internet monitoring firms cited by The Guardian suggest that access has been restored only in patches, with traffic reaching around 60 per cent of pre-shutdown levels at its peak.
Previously inaccessible Telegram channels reportedly came back online yesterday, while other services remain unstable or unavailable. A separate report by Filterwatch, an organisation monitoring Iran’s internet traffic, found that access to services such as Google, Bing and ChatGPT has returned in some provinces, though many social media and messaging platforms are still blocked.
The blackout began on 8 January, following nearly two weeks of escalating anti-government protests, and has become a defining feature of the crackdown.
Stuti Mishra29 January 2026 05:23
‘Don’t take us to a hospital’: Iran protesters treated in secret to avoid arrest
Injured protesters in Iran are being treated in private homes and makeshift clinics rather than hospitals, amid fears of arrest and surveillance by security forces, according to a report.
Protesters and medical workers said hospitals were being closely monitored, with security forces checking medical records to identify people wounded during demonstrations. Some injured protesters said they actively refused hospital treatment despite severe injuries, the BBC reported.
One protester, identified as Tara, said she and a friend were shot with birdshot during a protest in the central city of Isfahan and hid overnight in a stranger’s home before finding a doctor willing to treat them privately.
“Don’t take us to a hospital,” she said, describing fears of arrest.
Doctors and nurses said they were treating patients secretly at home, often without payment, and avoiding references to gunshot wounds in medical records.
Stuti Mishra29 January 2026 04:47
China warns against ‘military adventurism’ targeting Iran
China’s ambassador to the United Nations has warned against the use of force against Iran, saying military action would only deepen instability in the Middle East.
Speaking at an open debate of the UN Security Council, Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the UN, said: “The use of force cannot solve problems. Any acts of military adventurism will only push the region into an abyss of unpredictability.”
Mr Fu warned against external interference, as tensions in the region continue to rise amid Donald Trump’s threat that “time is running out”.
“China hopes that the United States and other relevant parties will heed the call of the international community and regional countries, do more things that are conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East, and avoid exacerbating tensions and adding fuel to the fire,” he said.
Mr Fu stressed that Iran was an independent sovereign state and that its future should be determined by its own people, adding that China supported Iran’s “sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.”
He also urged all parties to uphold the principles of the UN Charter and reject the use or threat of force in international relations.
“The Middle East belongs to the people in the region. It is not a wrestling ground for major power rivalry,” Mr Fu said.
China, he added, was ready to work with the international community to promote peace and stability across the region.
Stuti Mishra29 January 2026 04:00
Rubio says build up in the Middle East ‘defensive’ against weakened regime
Secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the buildup of US vessels in the Middle East reflects Washington’s “ability to posture assets in the Middle East to defend against what could be an Iranian threat”.
He spoke after saying that the regime appeared the weakest its ever been.
James Reynolds29 January 2026 03:30
Comment: Iran’s dead are piling up in the streets – so why has the West been silent?
A month after Tehran erupted in protests, the regime’s deadly crackdown continues to claim victims.
But, says Donald Macintyre, perhaps the world will finally take notice now that Donald Trump’s ‘massive armada’ has arrived in the Middle East:
James Reynolds29 January 2026 03:00
Iran’s days are numbered, warns Germany’s Merz
German chancellor Friedrich Merz joined in the American assessment that the Iranian regime’s “days are numbered” in comments on Wednesday as Trump ramped up his threats.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, he said: “A regime that can only hold onto power through sheer violence and terror against its own population: its days are numbered.”
“It could be a matter of weeks, but this regime has no legitimacy to govern the country.”
He backed Italy’s push to have the EU designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation.
James Reynolds29 January 2026 02:00
Iran has been gripped since late December by nationwide protests and demonstrations that were sparked by the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy.
They have been putting new pressure on the theocracy that runs Iran and which has, in turn, responded with a deadly crackdown and shutting down the internet.
Rights groups say the overall death toll from the crackdown rose to at least 5,032 people, with more than 27,600 detained in a widening arrest campaign. The official Iranian death toll is far lower — only 3,117 dead.
Iranian officials signalled last week that suspects detained in the protests would face fast trials and executions while also promising a “decisive response” if the US or Israel intervened.
Protesters in Iran cheer around bonfire
James Reynolds29 January 2026 01:00
In numbers: The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier
The US navy calls it the “largest warship in the world”.
At 333m and with a displacement of 104,300 long tons, the USS Abraham Lincoln is a formidable vessel, currently heading for Iran.
An aircraft carrier, it is able to station 65 aircraft and multiple missile mounts, and can haul around 100,000 tones of equipment.
Its squadrons include the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet and the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets.
The ship can travel at up to 35 knots and hosts a crew of around 5,600 people.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, America’s fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (file) (U.S. Navy)
James Reynolds29 January 2026 00:00