Live - Iran warns US interests as Trump points to naval buildup

Summary

NetBlocks said Iran’s internet blackout continued into a third week, with signs of manufactured traffic meant to suggest a wider restoration of access.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States was sending a “massive fleet” toward Iran, warning Washington was watching Tehran closely but saying he hoped force would not be used.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned against impunity for Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, telling an audience in Davos that the the Islamic Republic's survival would embolden deadly crackdowns by other governments.
The number of civilians killed in Iran’s crackdown on protests may be more than 20,000, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran Mai Sato said on Thursday citing reports from doctors inside the country, Bloomberg reported.

Jan 23, 2026, 12:30 GMT

EXCLUSIVEIran scales back operations at London consulate amid protests

Iran has sharply reduced operations at its consulate in central London, Iran International reported, following protests that took place outside the building during the recent unrest in Iran.

According to information received by Iran International, the consulate’s first floor has been fully evacuated and locked, and staff numbers at the site have been significantly reduced. Consular services are now being provided at a much more limited level than before.

Images obtained by Iran International in recent days showed office equipment and administrative materials being removed from the building, with vehicles seen transferring staff and items to another location earlier this week.

The changes follow demonstrations held outside Iran’s embassy and consulate in London during the nationwide protests in Iran.

British police previously deployed metal barriers and vehicles to secure the area during the demonstrations.

Jan 23, 2026, 12:25 GMT

Iran Guards commander says 'enemies cannot harm Islamic Republic'

A senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said adversaries would fail in any attempt to damage the Islamic Republic, repeating defiant rhetoric from Tehran amid heightened tensions.

Ahmad Vahidi said the Guards were created to protect Iran’s Islamic system and remained prepared to confront what he described as external threats.

“Enemies should know they cannot inflict any harm on the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Vahidi said, according to state media.

Jan 23, 2026, 12:17 GMT

EU lawmaker to host meeting on Iran protest crackdown

EU lawmaker Hannah Neumann said she will host a public meeting next week on the violent repression of protests in Iran.

“Next Monday, 26 January, I will host a public meeting on the violent repression of protests in Iran, with a focus on minority groups,” Neumann wrote on X.

The session will be publicly livestreamed, she added.

Jan 23, 2026, 11:58 GMT

EXCLUSIVEIran security council orders media to cite only official death tolls

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council instructed newspaper editors and online media managers to stop publishing independent reporting on protest deaths and to avoid interviewing bereaved families, according to information shared with Iran International.

The instruction, according to the information received by Iran International, was conveyed during a meeting with managers of domestic media outlets and explicitly required them to refer only to figures released by state bodies, while avoiding any independent accounting of deaths.

The same directive, the sources said, also prohibited interviews or conversations with families of those killed.

Jan 23, 2026, 11:37 GMT

Iran cleric warns US assets in region are 'within missile range'

A senior Iranian cleric said US interests and military bases in the Middle East were within range of Iran’s missiles, repeating warnings often issued by officials in Tehran amid tensions with Washington.

Mohammad Javad Haj Ali-Akbari said the United States had invested what he described as one trillion dollars in the region, adding that “all of your interests and bases are clear and precise targets of our missiles,” according to state media.

“That one trillion dollars you invested in the region is under the watch of our missiles,” he said.

Jan 23, 2026, 11:09 GMT

Iran cleric cites Venezuela as model for alleged US plan against leadership

A senior Iranian cleric said the United States had sought to target Iran’s leadership using a model similar to Venezuela, and warned that any attack would trigger a wider regional response.

Mohammad Saeedi, who represents Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the city of Qom, said Iran had sent messages warning that “any aggression would be answered by involving the entire region.”

He added that Iran’s enemies had concluded the country’s leadership remained the main obstacle to US goals.

Jan 23, 2026, 10:36 GMT

Video: ‘They shot my brother to pieces,’ says brother of slain protester

A video circulating on social media shows a man speaking inside an ambulance carrying the body of his brother, who was killed during unrest in Iran’s western city of Kermanshah.

In the footage, the man says his brother was shot multiple times.

“They tore my brother apart with bullets,” he says. “He was my support. We will get justice.”

Jan 23, 2026, 10:29 GMT

Iran prosecutor general says judiciary never planned 800 executions

Iran’s prosecutor general said remarks by US President Donald Trump about executions in Iran were false and said the judiciary does not take orders from foreign governments.

Mohammad Movahedi Azad said Trump had said he stopped the execution of 800 people in Iran, but said no such number existed and no such decision had been taken by Iran’s judiciary.

“The US president has said he stopped the execution of 800 people in Iran, but this is completely false,” Movahedi Azad was quoted as saying by Iranian media. “Neither does such a number exist nor has the judiciary made such a decision.”

“The judiciary is an independent institution and does not take orders from foreigners,” he said.

Trump had earlier said Iran planned to execute more than 800 protesters but halted the move after warnings from him.

Jan 23, 2026, 10:14 GMT

Iran lawmaker confirms many protest deaths were wounded who did not make it to hospitals

An Iranian lawmaker confirmed that many people who died during recent protests were wounded individuals who did not make it to hospitals, an unusual acknowledgment by an official about the fate of the injured during the unrest.

Ahmad Fatemi, a member of parliament’s social affairs commission, said many of those who died had been injured and later died from their wounds or infections after not receiving hospital treatment.

“Some of the wounded, for various reasons, did not go to treatment centers, and many of the deaths were due to injuries and infection,” Fatemi was quoted as saying by state media.

He said the cases were under review and that no precise figures had yet been released, adding that relevant authorities would publish official statistics later.

Jan 23, 2026, 10:02 GMT

Iran faces possible ‘Nuremberg moment,’ former UN prosecutor says

Payam Akhavan, an Iranian-Canadian former UN prosecutor, said efforts at the United Nations to document alleged abuses in Iran could prepare the ground for future legal action.

“The scale of the crimes is unprecedented,” Akhavan told Reuters ahead of an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council on Iran.

“We are trying to set the stage for transitional justice in Iran, for the country’s Nuremberg moment, should that come to pass,” he said, referring to the post-World War II trials of Nazi leaders.

Akhavan said documenting alleged violations now could be critical for future accountability, even if prosecutions are not immediately possible.

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