Month: February 2026

Al Jazeera – Iranian authorities have arrested four people on charges of attempting to “disrupt the country’s political and social order” and working “for the benefit” of Israel and the United States during the antigovernment protests last month.

The arrests were made late on Sunday and early on Monday, and included prominent reformist politicians who have recently spoken critically about the theocratic establishment, according to Iranian media reports.

Those arrested were identified as Azar Mansouri, head of Iran’s Reformists Front, Mohsen Aminzadeh, a former diplomat, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a former parliamentarian.

Hojjat Kermani, the lawyer representing the three arrested people, told the semiofficial ISNA news agency that Javad Emam, a spokesman of the Reformists Front, was also taken from his home by security forces.

Iran’s judiciary claimed that the group was behind “organising and leading extensive activities aimed at disrupting the political and social situation” at a time when the country faced “military threats” from Israel and the US, according to the official Mizan news agency.

The individuals had done their utmost “to justify the actions of the terrorist foot soldiers on the streets”, it said.

Iran’s Reformist Front confirmed the arrests in a statement on X.

It said Mansouri was arrested from the “door of her home under a judicial order” by the intelligence forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It added that the IRGC has also issued summons to other senior members, including its deputy chairman, Mohsen Armin, and secretary, Badralsadat Mofidi. Local media reported another reformist figure, Feizollah Arab Sorkhi, was also summoned.

Deadly crackdown

The arrests come amid anger in Iran over the deaths of thousands of Iranians during the January unrest. The protests began in the capital, Tehran, over a worsening economic crisis, but quickly escalated into a nationwide antigovernment movement.

Iranian authorities labelled the protesters as “terrorists” and blamed the “riots” on foreign interference from Israel and the US.

The government later said 3,117 people were killed during the unrest and rejected claims by the United Nations and international human rights organisations that state forces were behind the killings, most of which occurred on the nights of January 8 and 9.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has verified 6,961 deaths and is investigating 11,730 other cases. The organisation reports that at least 51,591 people have been arrested during and after the nationwide protests.

UN special rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato, said more than 20,000 people may have been killed during the protests as information remains limited amid heavy internet filtering by the state.

Reacting to the protest killings in a statement in late January, the Reformist Front had said it grieved “the great catastrophe” alongside the Iranian people, and called for sweeping reforms and the formation of an independent fact-finding mission. It had also threatened to dissolve in case the “destructive methods of the past” persist.

Mir Hossein Mousavi, former leader of the Reformist Front, who has been under house arrest since the Green Movement of 2009, released his strongest statement to date last month, calling for a democratic transition away from the “Islamic Republic” and for holding a constitutional referendum.

“How many ways must people say that they do not want this system and do not believe your lies? Enough. The game is over,” he wrote last month. At least four people, including a reformist figure and three activists, were arrested for helping draft and publish the statement.

Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said the politicians arrested on Sunday and Monday face “serious allegations”.

He said Aminzadeh was a former deputy foreign minister during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, who governed from 1997 to 2005, and that Asgharzadeh is a former lawmaker who was a student leader “involved in the takeover of the US embassy” in 1979.

“These figures have a background of political activism and imprisonment,” Asadi said. “So this is not the first time that they are facing such allegations. And they are going through a trajectory that could pave the way for imprisonment for them,” he said.

Analysts say the crackdown is a sign the Iranian government is trying to send a message to any other dissidents who challenge it.

“These are the people who have been calling for more political liberalisation. Some of them have called for the end of the Islamic Republic,” said Sina Azodi, the director of the Middle East Studies programme at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

“This tells me the Islamic Republic has decided to close any avenues for political dissent and, rather, to rule with an iron fist, through crackdowns and more fear-mongering among any political dissidents.”

Talks with US

The Iranian clampdown has also ratcheted up tensions with Washington.

When the protests first broke out, US President Donald Trump – who is seeking to curb Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes – threatened Tehran with new attacks if it used force against the protesters. Trump, who had ordered the US military strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last June, also deployed a naval “armada” to the Gulf region.

The move prompted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to warn of a “regional war” if Iran is attacked, as well as a push by regional powers to ease the tensions.

The diplomacy resulted in Iran and the US holding indirect talks in Oman on Friday. President Masoud Pezeshkian described the discussions as “a step forward” in a social media post on Sunday and said his government favoured continued dialogue.

Another round of negotiations is scheduled for next week.

Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera that she does not expect the latest arrests in Iran to affect the ongoing nuclear negotiations.

“I am not sure that these arrests are going to be a specific focus of the talks as they continue,” she told Al Jazeera. However, she noted the arrests come amid the talks in Oman and a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the US capital.

Netanyahu will probably demand Iran halt all uranium enrichment, end its missile programme, and stop supporting regional allies, Bennis said.

“It’s essentially a call for Iranian surrender,” she said.

“So there’ll be a big question as to whether the US is going to go along with the Israeli position or maintain its own position, which historically has been slightly different than Israel’s, particularly on the question of nuclear enrichment.”

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Radio Free Europe – Iran has arrested several prominent reformist politicians as the authorities widen their crackdown on dissent following mass anti-government protests that posed one of the biggest threats to the clerical establishment in years.

Iranian media reported the arrests of Ebrahim Asqarzadeh, Mohsen Aminzadeh, and Azar Mansuri — members of the Reformists Front coalition — on February 8. Javad Emam, the spokesman for the coalition, was arrested on February 9.

The authorities used brute force to put down weekslong nationwide protests that erupted in late December, killing several thousand people, according to human rights groups. Since then, the authorities have launched a campaign of mass arrests and targeted prominent activists and political figures.

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INQUIRER – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States.

Washington first threatened to intervene over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters, with authorities on Sunday arresting three prominent reformists accused of anti-government rhetoric.

They also imposed another hefty prison sentence on Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi, who was arrested before the protests, on charges of harming national security.

Araghchi told a forum in Tehran attended by AFP that Iran had little trust in Washington and doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously.

He later said Iran was consulting with its “strategic partners” China and Russia about the talks.

“Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behaviour,” Araghchi said at the forum.

“Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,” he added, referring to the arrival of an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Arabian Sea.

The United States and Iran reopened negotiations on Friday in Oman for the first time since Israel’s 12-day war with the Islamic republic in June of last year, which the US briefly joined.

Iran is seeking to have US economic sanctions on the country lifted, in exchange for what Araghchi said at the forum could be “a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear programme”.

Western countries and Israel, thought to be the Middle East’s only country with nuclear weapons, say Iran is seeking to acquire an atomic bomb, which the Islamic republic denies.

“They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not looking for one. Our atomic bomb is the power to say ‘no’ to the great powers,” Araghchi said.

The US and Israel want the negotiations to go beyond the nuclear question and include Iran’s ballistic missiles and support for armed groups in the region, issues Iran refuses to include in the talks.

‘Peace through strength’

Washington’s lead negotiators, envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, visited the nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

The ship was dispatched to the Middle East several weeks ago as part of military buildup in the region, following US President Donald Trump’s threats against Iran.

In a social media post, Witkoff said the carrier and its strike group were “keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength.”

The threat of war continues to hover over the negotiations, even as Trump called the talks “very good” and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said they “constitute a step forward.”

Following Friday’s first round in Oman, Trump signed an executive order calling for fresh tariffs on countries still doing business with Iran.

The United States also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports.

At the Tehran forum on Sunday, Araghchi said ongoing “sanctions and military actions raise doubts about the seriousness and readiness of the other side to conduct genuine negotiations.”

Arrests, sentencing

The talks between the two foes and the US military buildup in the region follow Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late December, sparked by economic grievances.

Iranian authorities on Sunday arrested three reformist figures, including the head of Iran’s Reform Front coalition, Azar Mansouri, the Fars news agency reported, listing charges that included “targeting national unity” and “coordination with enemy propaganda”, among others.

After the demonstrations began, Mansouri posted on Instagram that “when all avenues to be heard are closed, protest takes to the streets”, later calling the death toll a “great disaster.”

Meanwhile, jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was sentenced on Saturday to six years in prison on charges of harming national security and one-and-a-half years for “propaganda” against Iran’s Islamic system, her foundation said in a statement.

She was arrested after speaking out against the government at a funeral ceremony in December.

The authorities in Iran have acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed in the protests, publishing on Sunday a list of 2,986 names, most of whom they say were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders.

International organizations have put the toll far higher.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has verified 6,961 deaths, mostly protesters, and has another 11,630 cases under investigation.

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The Financial Times – Iran’s security forces have arrested at least four senior reformist politicians on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the Islamic system, increasing tensions just weeks after the country’s deadliest unrest for years.

The arrests were made at a time of strained relations with the US, which began talks with Iran on Friday, but is still weighing its potential military options against the Islamic republic.

The state-affiliated Fars news agency reported that Azar Mansouri, head of the Reformist Front — an umbrella organisation representing reformist parties — was arrested at her home on Sunday. Mohsen Aminzadeh, a former deputy foreign minister for American affairs, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a veteran politician, were also detained.

The identity of the fourth detainee was not disclosed. State media said some other senior figures had also been summoned to the judiciary.

Fars accused those detained of “targeting national solidarity”, opposing the constitution, co-ordinating with “the enemy’s propaganda” and encouraging “surrender” while establishing “secret mechanisms to overthrow” the Islamic theocracy. Three other prominent anti-regime political activists who have called for a constitutional referendum have also been detained over the past week.

Iran is facing mounting domestic and diplomatic pressure over the unprecedented death toll from the recent street protests and the growing risk of military confrontation with Washington. US President Donald Trump said the US had “very good” talks with Iran on Friday and that negotiations would continue, but warned that the consequences for Tehran would be “very steep” if the sides did not reach a deal.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency has put the number of people killed during last month’s protests at 6,842. The Iranian government has confirmed 3,117 deaths, including members of the security forces, but blamed the violence on what it says were US- and Israel-backed mercenaries and “terrorists”.

Iranian opposition groups abroad claim the death toll runs into the tens of thousands. Western diplomats are examining those estimates but acknowledge it is very difficult to know how many exactly were killed because of limited access to information.

The deaths have shaken Iranian society and prompted reformist politicians to speak out and demand accountability for the crackdown.

Recent Instagram posts by Mansouri reflected deep disillusionment with the possibility of reform within Iran’s existing political structure. She expressed regret over backing Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidential campaign two years ago and called on him to resign.

Mizan, a news agency affiliated with Iran’s powerful judiciary, reported that those arrested on Sunday had engaged in “co-ordinated activities aimed at inflaming the country’s political and social climate amid military threats from the US and Israel”.

Meanwhile, Ali Shakouri-Rad, a senior politician and former reformist MP, has alleged in a leaked audio recording that security forces themselves carried out acts of sabotage during the protests to justify a bloody crackdown, and questioned official claims that foreign agents were responsible for the killings.
Amir-Hossein Sabeti, a hardline lawmaker, said on Sunday that Shakouri-Rad must present evidence for his claims or face trial.

The US stepped up its military presence in Gulf waters south of Iran before the two countries began talks that are expected to continue in the coming days.

According to diplomats and analysts, the White House has demanded that Tehran permanently end all uranium enrichment, accept limits on its ballistic missile programme and halt support for regional militant groups. Tehran has said it can accept limitations only to its nuclear programme.

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister and chief negotiator, said on Sunday that the country could not accept all US demands. He also stressed that the Islamic republic would not give up its right to enrich uranium domestically.

“Standing firm is our greatest challenge at the moment and the responsibility for that rests with the military and the diplomacy apparatus,” he said. “If you take one step back, it is unclear how far back you will have to retreat.”

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ANHA News – The Iranian human rights organization HRANA reported that authorities executed 13 people in a single day in various prisons across Iran.

According to the organization, the executions took place in Khorramabad, Sanandaj, Dezful, Aligudarz, Kermanshah, Yasuj, Nahavand, Zahedan, Hamadan, and Karaj Central Prison in Tehran. The reports indicate that those executed were convicted after trials conducted by the regime on charges of “drug trafficking” and “murder

The organization explained that these executions are part of the Iranian regime’s recent escalation, noting that between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026, at least 2,063 people were executed, a 119% increase compared to the previous year, which it considered the highest rate of executions in Iran in the last decade.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also stated in a statement issued last month that the Iranian authorities use executions as a tool of intimidation and repression, emphasizing that this policy disproportionately affects ethnic minorities and migrants.

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The Media Line – At least 13 inmates were put to death in prisons across Iran on Saturday morning after convictions on drug and murder charges, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported.

According to the group, executions were carried out in facilities located in Khorramabad, Sanandaj, Dezful, Aligudarz, Kermanshah, Yasuj, Nahavand, Zahedan, Hamedan, and at Karaj Central Penitentiary.

HRANA said it verified the identities of 10 of those executed: Ali Faza Khoshneshin, Farshad Sheikhi, Avin Sorkhi, Jafar Faryadi, Ali Sarlakabad, Sosha Moradi, Behzad Mashayekhi, Mohammad Ali Saeedloo, Morad Goli, and Abolfazl Naqvi.

The organization is tracking a steep rise in capital punishment in the Islamic Republic. HRANA recorded 2,063 executions between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026, which it said reflects a 119% jump from the year before.

In a report issued in December, the group noted that last year’s total marked the highest number of executions documented in more than 10 years.

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Deutsche Welle – US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that could impose a 25% tariff on countries that continue to trade with Iran.

Trump first threatened the measure last month as tensions between Washington and Tehran continued to rise over Iran’s nuclear program and a bloody crackdown by the Islamic Republic on anti-regime protests.

What does the executive order say?

The executive order, which takes effect on Saturday, directs the administration to impose new tariffs on countries that still do business with Iran.

It states that tariffs “may be imposed on goods imported into the United States that are products of any country that directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise acquires any goods or services from Iran.”

The order also sets out a mechanism for determining and applying those duties, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tasked with setting the rate.

The order notes that the tariff could be as high as 25%, echoing the figure Trump first floated in mid-January.

Such measures would hit trade with China — Iran’s largest trading partner and the biggest buyer of Iranian oil — along with Russia, Germany, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The White House said the tariff was aimed at “holding Iran accountable for its pursuit of nuclear capabilities, support for terrorism, ballistic missile development and regional destabilization that endanger American security, allies, and interests.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran’s leadership, citing its brutal crackdown on demonstrators during recent mass protests as well as its controversial nuclear program.

No deal yet from Iran talks, but negotations may continue 

Indirect talks in Oman on Friday ended without an immediate breakthrough, but there are signs that negotiations would continue.

The talks in Muscat — the first since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June — were mediated by Oman and described by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as “a good start.” He had said the two sides “agreed to continue negotiations.”

Trump described the talks as “very good” and said “we’re going to meet against early next week.”

Trump said Iran “looks like it wants to make a deal very badly,” but warned again of consequences if no agreement is reached and insisted Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, he added that another meeting was planned for early next week.

US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, attended the talks in Muscat, underscoring the military threat that Tehran faces as US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, have begun patrols just off the Iranian coast.

Protest crackdown deepens crisis

Inside Iran, the government has imposed an internet blackout amid a sweeping crackdown on economic protests that began in December.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Friday it had confirmed 6,505 protesters have been killed, along with 214 security personnel and 61 bystanders.

Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity — a short technical step from weapons‑grade material.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has noted that Iran is the only non‑nuclear‑armed state to enrich to that level.

Tehran has since refused IAEA requests to inspect the bombed sites, heightening concerns among nonproliferation experts.

Iran had already restricted inspections following Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.

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DAWN – US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington held “very good talks” on Iran after the two sides held an indirect dialogue in Oman.

Iran, for its part, said it expected to hold more negotiations with the United States, hailing a “positive atmosphere” during a day of talks in the Gulf sultanate.

With an American naval group led by an aircraft carrier in Middle Eastern waters, US and Iranian delegations held talks in Muscat mediated by Oman without publicly meeting face-to-face.

Shortly after the talks concluded, the US announced new sanctions against shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports. But it was not clear if the move was linked to the talks.

The talks were the first between the two foes since the United States joined Israel’s war with Iran in June with strikes on nuclear sites.

“We likewise had very good talks on Iran,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding, “we’re going to meet again early next week.”

However, as Iran warned against further threats after Washington raised the spectre of new military action, Trump said: “If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led Iran’s delegation in Muscat, said talks “focused exclusively” on the Iranian nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb but Tehran insists is peaceful.

The US delegation, led by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s influential son-in-law Jared Kushner, had also wanted Tehran’s backing for militant groups, its ballistic missile program and treatment of protesters on the agenda.

“In a very positive atmosphere, our arguments were exchanged and the views of the other side were shared with us,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV, adding that the two sides had “agreed to continue negotiations.”

Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, Araghchi expressed hope that Washington would refrain from “threats and pressure” so that “the talks can continue.”

‘Destabilising power’

Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, was present at the talks, according to images published by the Oman News Agency.

Multiple sessions of talks in the morning and afternoon saw both sides shuttling to and from the residence of Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.

The foreign ministry of US ally Qatar expressed hope the talks would “lead to a comprehensive agreement that serves the interests of both parties and enhances security and stability in the region.”

The White House has made clear it wants the talks to rein in Tehran’s ability to make a nuclear bomb, an ambition the Islamic republic has always denied.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that Iran should stop being a “destabilizing power,” citing its nuclear program and support for “terrorist” groups.

Barrot also called on “groups supported by Iran” to exert “the utmost restraint” in the event of any military escalation involving the Islamic republic.

‘Maximum pressure’

Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters last month, which rights groups say killed thousands, and even told demonstrators “help is on its way.”

Regional powers including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar urged the United States not to intervene, calling on Washington and Tehran to instead return to talks.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Friday it has confirmed 6,505 protesters were killed, as well as 214 members of the security forces and 61 bystanders.

Those numbers are expected to climb because the magnitude of the crackdown has masked by the blanket internet shutdown imposed by the authorities for a fortnight, rights groups say.

Almost 51,000 people are also confirmed to have been arrested amid “the growing use of forced confessions,” according to HRANA.

Yet Trump’s rhetoric in recent days has focused on reining in the Iranian nuclear program and the US has maneuvered a naval group led by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln into the region.
Iran has repeatedly vowed it will hit back at US bases in the region if attacked.

The new sanctions to curb Iran’s oil exports come with Trump “committed to driving down the Iranian regime’s illicit oil and petrochemical exports under the administration’s maximum pressure campaign,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

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NBC News – President Donald Trump said Friday that the high-stakes talks between Iran and the United States in Oman had gone well and that the two sides would meet again next week, though he did not provide any details about the meeting.

“They had a very good meeting with a very high representative Iran, of Iran, and we’ll see how it all turns out,” Trump told a gathering of reporters aboard Air Force One, noting that the country could not be permitted to have nuclear weapons under any deal.

“We’re going to meet again early next week, and they want to make a deal, Iran, as they should want to make a deal,” he added. “They know the consequences if they don’t. If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep. So we’ll see what happens.”

U.S. and Iranian officials did not meet directly but exchanged their positions through Omani mediators, a U.S. official told NBC News.

Tensions have spiked between Iran and the U.S. as Trump has repeatedly warned of a possible military strike.

The U.S. highlighted its military options in a very clear manner on Friday: Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, was in uniform at the talks in Oman.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, were the main negotiators.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the top Iranian official at the talks, was also positive about the discussions on Friday.

“It was a good start. How the talks move on depends on consultations with the capitals,” he said in a mass text message sent to mobile phone users inside Iran. “There was almost a consensus on the continuation of talks and it was agreed they would continue.”

Mass text messages of this kind became common during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel, which was also joined by the U.S. military, last June.

The U.S. military has been sending aircraft and land-based air defense systems into the Middle East as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its attending ships are getting closer to being within striking distance of Tehran, U.S. officials said.

The volatility of the situation was highlighted on Tuesday when a fighter jet from the Abraham Lincoln shot down an Iranian drone as it “aggressively” approached the aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea and appeared to have “unclear intent,” U.S. Central Command said.

While Trump has left open the possibility of pursuing regime change in Iran, two U.S. officials told NBC News that he has not yet settled on precisely what his objectives for any possible military action would be. They also said there is no clear road map or consensus within the administration over what role the U.S. would play after any such operation.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran, warned Sunday that any U.S. attack would kick off a regional war.

At the same time, the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Iran in other ways. The State Department announced new sanctions on Friday that targeted “15 entities, two individuals, and 14 shadow fleet vessels connected to the illicit trade in Iranian petroleum, petroleum products, and petrochemical products,” according to a State Department statement.

“Time and time again, the Iranian government has prioritized its destabilizing behavior over the safety and security of its own citizens, as demonstrated by the regime’s mass murder of peaceful protestors,” the statement said.

Mass protests were sparked in late December by economic grievances as the rial currency crashed and inflation soared. They morphed into one of the biggest challenges the Iranian regime has faced in the theocracy’s 47-year history, as thousands of people took to the streets to oppose the ruling clergy.

The brutal crackdown that followed was unparalleled in Iran’s modern history, observers say. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which says that it verifies each death with a network of activists on the ground in Iran and that its data goes through “multiple internal checks,” said Friday that it had confirmed 6,955 deaths. More than 50,000 people have been arrested, the group says.

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CBS News – US President Donald Trump said that Washington had “very good talks” on Iran after the two sides held an indirect dialogue in Oman, pledging another round of negotiations next week.

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