Iran stages Khamenei photos to mask cracks in IRGC, opposition groups say
Iran’s regime released staged images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attempt to show strength and boost a military under strain, according to opposition groups operating outside the country.
The photographs, published by Iranian state media Jan. 31, marked Khamenei’s first public appearance in weeks and showed him praying at the tomb of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as regime officials issued new threats against the U.S. and Europe.
Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the images were aimed less at reassuring the public than at boosting morale among the regime’s weakening security forces.
“The images of Ali Khamenei were pure propaganda,” Safavi told Fox News Digital. “He wanted to show that he is not afraid of dying, but at the same time he is desperately trying to boost the morale of his demoralized forces.”
TRUMP SAYS IRAN CALLED ‘NUMEROUS’ TIMES TO MAKE DEAL AS CARRIER ENTERS MIDDLE EAST WATERS
Safavi said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remains the backbone of the regime’s power but is showing signs of strain after weeks of suppressing nationwide protests.
“These images are intended to project strength and shore up the repressive forces,” he said. “But underneath, the regime is reeling from the reality that its criminal clique cannot break the will of the people and Khamenei knows the situation will never return to what it was before Dec. 28.”
The release of the photos coincided with calls from the European Parliament to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
HUNDREDS RALLY OUTSIDE IRANIAN UN AMBASSADOR’S FIFTH AVENUE RESIDENCE CALLING FOR REGIME CHANGE
“The IRGC is the backbone of this regime,” Safavi said. “Its disintegration can only occur after a fundamental shift in the balance of forces and with the presence of organized resistance on the ground. Only then do defections at lower levels of the military become meaningful.”
Tehran reacted angrily to the European move with Iranian lawmakers appearing in IRGC uniforms in a highly choreographed show of solidarity, according to reports.
A banner reading, “The Revolutionary Guard is the largest anti-terrorism organization in the world,” was displayed at the speaker’s podium, and the IRGC flag was prominently featured, according to the Times of Israel.
US MILITARY WARNS IRAN IT WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY ‘UNSAFE’ ACTIONS AHEAD OF LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ
“We saw the same thing when the U.S. designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization in 2019,” Safavi said.
“More than half of these lawmakers are former IRGC commanders,” he added. “The IRGC dominates Iran’s economy and permeates the executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as educational institutions.”
After the U.S. dispatched a naval strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, Khamenei also warned Sunday in comments reported by Iranian state media that any military action would trigger a wider regional conflict.
“We are not the ones who start a war,” Khamenei said . “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,” he said per reports.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
President Donald Trump said Sunday that if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program, “we’ll find out” whether Khamenei’s warning proves correct.
“Doing business with Iran means doing business with the IRGC,” Safavi said. “The IRGC is the regime — even the clerics.”
US ambassador to NATO warns the ‘ball’ is in Iran’s ‘court’ as Trump confirms negotiations taking place
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said President Donald Trump has made clear demands of Iran, and what happens next will be up to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as an American naval fleet patrols the region. He added that Trump “won’t wait forever” for his ultimatum to be met.
“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,” Whitaker said Saturday on “The Big Weekend Show.”
“That’s a pretty clear red line.”
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS
Whitaker described the “armada that is sitting off the coast of Iran” as both a show of strength and an “off ramp.” He said the Iranians “could de-escalate very easily and simply” by abandoning nuclear ambitions and halting the suppression of protests.
“We’ll see. The ball is in their court,” he said. “But you know, President Trump is not going to be forever patient on this.”
GULF SHIPPING OPERATIONS GRIND TO HALT NEAR IRAN; US QUIETLY PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE: ‘HEIGHTENED RISK’
He emphasized that Trump’s aim was not to destabilize Iran amid reports that the president may be considering military action.
Trump said Saturday he believes Tehran is negotiating “seriously” with the U.S., and that he hopes an “acceptable” deal can be brokered.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
On Sunday, however, the speaker of Iran’s parliament said the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups after the bloc declared the country’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terror group over its crackdown on nationwide protests.
This action has created concern that Iran might strike U.S. NATO allies should America attack again, following Operation Midnight Hammer, which targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
Trump says Iran ‘seriously talking to us’ as military ships head to Middle East
President Donald Trump said Saturday he believes Iran is negotiating “seriously” with the U.S., stressing that he hopes an “acceptable” deal can be brokered.
The president’s comments were made as he reportedly weighs options on a possible military strike on Iran amid widespread protests and a violent crackdown in the country.
When asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether he had decided on a strike against Iran, Trump responded, “I certainly can’t tell you that.”
“But we do have very big, powerful ships heading in that direction,” he added. “I hope they negotiate something that’s acceptable.”
IRAN WILL RETALIATE ‘WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE’ IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS
The president then sidestepped a question about whether Tehran would be emboldened if the U.S. opted not to launch strikes on Iran, saying, “Some people think that. Some people don’t.”
“You could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “They should do that, but I don’t know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us.”
Trump has said the U.S. will not share military plans with Gulf allies while negotiating with Iran, even as U.S. naval forces surge into the region.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN CALLED ‘NUMEROUS’ TIMES TO MAKE DEAL AS CARRIER ENTERS MIDDLE EAST WATERS
Speaking with Fox News Channel senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich on Saturday, Trump said, “We can’t tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan — it could be worse, actually.”
“But, look, the plan is that [Iran is] talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something,” Trump continued. “Otherwise, we’ll see what happens. … We have a big fleet heading out there, bigger than we had — and still have, actually — in Venezuela.”
On Sunday, the speaker of Iran’s parliament said the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups after the bloc declared the country’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terror group over its crackdown on nationwide protests.
Iran again invoked a 2019 law to declare other nations’ militaries terrorist groups following the United States’ designation of the Guard as a terror organization that year.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The announcement by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guard commander, comes as the Islamic Republic also planned live-fire military drills for Sunday and Monday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade passes.
Hundreds rally outside Iranian UN ambassador’s Fifth Avenue residence calling for regime change
Shouts of “Trump act now!” filled the sunny Saturday afternoon on New York’s Fifth Avenue as hundreds of anti-Iranian regime protesters denounced the theocratic regime in Tehran and called for the U.S. to take action against Iran.
“We want freedom for the Iranian people,” said protester Sarah Shahi.
“We want this theocracy that has been taking people’s rights away to be taken out with whatever means necessary. We need help when so many people have been killed.”
TED CRUZ URGES US TO ARM IRANIAN PROTESTERS AS MILITIAS THREATEN ‘TOTAL WAR’ AGAINST AMERICA
The protesters gathered across the street from the residence of Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations and called for the regime in Tehran to be toppled.
The ornate 19th century limestone townhouse was originally purchased by the Iranian government under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the shah of Iran who ruled from 1941 until 1979. It has been the official home of the country’s U.N. representative ever since. Protests have been rare at the location, but, at some point overnight, someone spray-painted the words “terrorists” and “killers” on the front facade.
TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP CREATES ‘RARE OPPORTUNITY’ FOR CHANGE IN IRAN, FORMER IRANIAN POLITICAL PRISONER SAYS
The building’s location is one of the most exclusive on the Upper East Side, diagonally across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and less than a block away from the former residence of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
One protester’s sign showed a photograph of current Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani with the words “A terrorist lives here.”
“For the people of the Islamic republic to be residing here is just so unjust,” said Shahi. “But it is the closest thing we have to an embassy” as a protest location.
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE REVEALS 6-STEP PLAN TO EXERT PRESSURE ON TEHRAN’S REGIME
Since Iran does not have diplomatic relations with the United States, the building is the only Iranian government-owned property in the country.
President Trump has ordered U.S. warships to within striking distance of Iran as he considers potential attacks against the regime’s nuclear program, oil and military targets. The buildup is in response to Iran’s continued support of terrorism and its brutal mass killings of protesters, with estimates saying as many as 30,000 people have been killed for participating in anti-regime street demonstrations.
The protesters in Manhattan are supporters of the late shah’s son, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who has been speaking out for weeks against the regime as its barbaric crackdown continued. Pahlavi has been in exile for 47 years since his father fled and the Iranian revolution ushered in the hardline religious Anti-American regime of the Mullahs.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The chants from the protesters were no less impassioned than those of their brethren who have flooded the streets of Iranian cities. Signs demanded “End the regime in Iran,” and “Brave Iranians are fighting on the ground. The U.S. and Israel must act against a common enemy now.” Other signs proclaimed, “No to the Islamic Republic regime,” and “Make Iran Great Again.”
The protesters say they are waiting for President Trump to take military action against the regime so that the nation can finally taste freedom.
Trump says Gulf allies kept in dark as US negotiates with Iran: ‘Can’t tell them the plan’
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will not share military plans with Gulf allies while negotiating with Iran, even as a major American naval presence moves into the region.
Trump, speaking with Fox News Channel senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, responded to reporting that Gulf allies remain in the dark about potential U.S. intervention plans involving Iran.
It comes as Trump is reportedly weighing his options on a possible military strike on Iran amid widespread protests and violent crackdowns inside the country.
TRUMP’S IRAN BRIEFING MAY BE ‘DECEPTION CAMPAIGN’ TO MASK MOVES ALREADY UNDERWAY, EXPERT SAYS
‘‘Well, we can’t tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan — it could be worse, actually,’’ Trump said. ‘‘But, look, the plan is that [Iran is] talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something. Otherwise, we’ll see what happens. … We have a big fleet heading out there, bigger than we had — and still have, actually — in Venezuela.’’
Trump announced earlier this week that a “massive Armada is heading to Iran,” led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
A senior Gulf official told Fox News that Saudi Arabia would not allow the U.S. to use its airspace or bases for an attack. A high-ranking government figure from a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) told Fox News the ‘‘U.S. hasn’t shared objectives or plans’’ regarding Iran with Gulf allies despite recent high-level Saudi meetings in Washington aimed at gaining clarity.
Gulf allies have said Iran frequently seeks negotiations, but they remain skeptical that talks will lead to a deal.
“Well, that’s true, but they are negotiating, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said, responding to that assessment.
TRUMP VOWS TO ‘KNOCK THE HELL OUT OF’ IRAN IF NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS REBUILT AGAIN AFTER HIGH-STAKES MEETING
“You know, the last time they negotiated, we had to take out their nuclear, didn’t work, you know. Then we took it out a different way, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump added.
Trump also addressed government funding and the risk of a shutdown, saying Democrats would bear responsibility if talks collapse.
“I think it’s going fine. We had a big GDP. I lost a point and a half because of the last [shutdown],” Trump said. “So, you’ll see what happens. I think the Democrats don’t want it to happen. Makes them look very bad, yeah, but it’s not a good thing for the country. So, hopefully, enough people will use their heads.”
Asked about Democratic demands that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents remove face coverings as part of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding negotiations, Trump declined to engage, pointing to recent comments on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and law enforcement efforts.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“I don’t want to comment on that yet because it’s not time to,’” Trump said. ‘”But I’ll have a comment. You saw my statement on Kristi yesterday. You know where my attitude is. We’re at a low point in history in crime. Since 1900 — recorded history. … We have the lowest crime, the lowest number of murders, the lowest everything, because we’re taking criminals out of our country. And Tom’s doing great.”
Iran’s president accuses Trump, Netanyahu, Europe of provoking unrest: ‘They brought them into the streets’
Iran’s president accused President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European leaders Saturday of provoking unrest and trying to “tear this country apart,” a report said.
Masoud Pezeshkian told state television that Trump, Netanyahu and European leaders “rode on our problems, provoked, and were seeking — and still seek — to fragment society,” according to Reuters.
“They brought them into the streets and wanted, as they said, to tear this country apart, to sow conflict and hatred among the people and create division,” Pezeshkian reportedly added about the anti-government protests and deadly crackdown that recently swept through Iran. “Everyone knows that the issue was not just a social protest.”
The White House did not immediately respond Saturday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
SAUDIS WON’T LET THE UNITED STATES USE ITS BASES OR AIRSPACE FOR AN ATTACK ON IRAN, SENIOR GULF OFFICIAL REVEALS
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency recently reported that the violence in Iran has killed at least 6,479 people in recent weeks, with many more feared dead. Its count included at least 6,092 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 118 children and 55 civilians who were not demonstrating. More than 47,200 have been arrested, it added.
As of Jan. 21, Iran’s government put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces and labeling the rest “terrorists.”
Pezeshkian’s comments come after Trump said Friday that the United States has directly communicated expectations to Iran as pressure mounts for Tehran to accept a nuclear deal.
SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL ACTIVITY AT IRAN NUCLEAR SITES BOMBED BY US, ISRAEL
Asked whether Iran faces a deadline to make a deal, Trump suggested in the Oval Office Friday the timeline had been conveyed privately.
“Only they know for sure,” he said when pressed about whether the message had been delivered directly to Iranian leaders.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
As Trump weighs his options on a possible military strike on Iran, a senior Gulf official also told Fox News Saudi Arabia will not allow the U.S. to use its airspace or bases for such an attack.
US military warns Iran it will not tolerate any ‘unsafe’ actions ahead of live-fire drills in Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. military warned Iran it will not tolerate “any unsafe and unprofessional behavior” surrounding U.S. forces in the Middle East as Tehran gears up for live-fire naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz.
The declaration comes as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is set to begin a two-day exercise starting Sunday, according to the U.S. Central Command. President Donald Trump announced this week that a “massive Armada is heading to Iran,” led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
“U.S. forces acknowledge Iran’s right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters. Any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
“CENTCOM will ensure the safety of U.S. personnel, ships, and aircraft operating in the Middle East. We will not tolerate unsafe IRGC actions, including overflight of U.S. military vessels engaged in flight operations, low-altitude or armed overflight of U.S. military assets when intentions are unclear, high-speed boat approaches on a collision course with U.S. military vessels, or weapons trained at U.S. forces.”
SAUDIS WON’T LET THE UNITED STATES USE ITS BASES OR AIRSPACE FOR AN ATTACK ON IRAN, SENIOR GULF OFFICIAL REVEALS
“The U.S. military has the most highly trained and lethal force in the world and will continue to operate with the highest levels of professionalism and adhere to international norms. Iran’s IRGC must do the same,” it also said.
CENTCOM described the Strait of Hormuz as “an international sea passage and an essential trade corridor that supports regional economic prosperity.”
HEGSETH SAYS DEPARTMENT OF WAR ‘WILL BE PREPARED TO DELIVER’ WHATEVER TRUMP WANTS FOLLOWING IRAN WARNING
“On any given day, roughly 100 of the world’s merchant vessels transit the narrow strait,” it said.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during a Cabinet meeting this week that the Department of War will “be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects” following a warning to Iran about its nuclear program.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump said Wednesday that “time is running out” to strike a deal.
Satellite images reveal activity at Iran nuclear sites bombed by US, Israel
Fresh satellite images have captured roofs being built over damaged buildings at Iranian nuclear sites that were attacked by the U.S. and Israel last year.
The photos from Planet Labs PBC show new coverings over two structures at the Isfahan and Natanz facilities following the June 2025 strikes.
The roofs are likely part of Iran’s efforts “to assess whether key assets — such as limited stocks of highly enriched uranium — survived the strikes,” Andrea Stricker, who studies Iran for the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Associated Press.
“They want to be able to get at any recovered assets they can get to without Israel or the United States seeing what survived,” she added.
A FULL BREAKDOWN OF OPERATION MIDNIGHT HAMMER, THE ‘LARGEST B-2 OPERATIONAL STRIKE IN US HISTORY’
Those coverings block satellites from seeing what’s happening on the ground — right now the only way for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the sites, as Iran has prevented access.
The Natanz site, which is about 135 miles south of Iran’s capital of Tehran, is a mix of above- and below-ground laboratories that did the majority of Iran’s uranium enrichment.
The facility outside the city of Isfahan was mainly known for producing the uranium gas that is fed into centrifuges to be spun and purified.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS
Last year, Israel targeted the sites first, followed by U.S. strikes using bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Israel Defense Forces said in June 2025 that a strike on the Isfahan site had “dismantled a facility for producing metallic uranium, infrastructure for reconverting enriched uranium, laboratories, and additional infrastructure.”
The U.S. strikes “significantly degraded Iran’s nuclear program,” the White House’s National Security Strategy published in November said.
Iran has not allowed IAEA inspectors to visit the sites since the attacks.
The new satellite images come as President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that a “massive Armada” is heading toward the Middle East, ratcheting up pressure on the Iranian regime to reach a nuclear deal. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during a Cabinet meeting Thursday that the U.S. military is “prepared to deliver whatever the president expects” regarding Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian military officials have vowed that any U.S. attack would be met with an immediate and decisive response.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The Trump administration has also escalated sanctions on Iranian officials in response to the deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
Saudis won’t let the US use its bases or airspace for an attack on Iran, senior Gulf official reveals
As President Donald Trump weighs his options on a possible military strike on Iran, a senior Gulf official told Fox News Saudi Arabia will not allow the U.S. to use its airspace or bases for such an attack.
A high-ranking government figure from a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state told Fox News that the “U.S. hasn’t shared objectives or plans” regarding Iran with Gulf allies despite recent high-level Saudi meetings in Washington aimed at gaining clarity.
“We said this as friends, [we] want to make sure they understand our position and our assessment in general. And we want to understand the U.S. assessment with as much clarity as possible,” the senior official said. “I’d like to get full clarity, and we did not get there.”
Regarding U.S. military movements for a strike on Iran, the official said, “The plan is something other than using Saudi airspace.”
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS
The official said the U.S. is welcome in Saudi Arabia, especially regarding Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing U.S.-led campaign against ISIS. Yet, the Saudi position now is “consistent” with what it was during the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in April 2024, the official said.
“Saudi Arabia wouldn’t allow airspace to be used to target Israel, Houthis, Iran. The position is the same now. Saudi Arabia wouldn’t allow airspace to be used in a war Saudi Arabia is not a part of,” the official said.
Trump said Friday that the United States has directly communicated expectations to Iran as pressure mounts for Tehran to accept a nuclear deal, even as Iranian officials publicly signal interest in talks.
Asked whether Iran faces a deadline to make a deal, Trump suggested the timeline had been conveyed privately.
“Only they know for sure,” he said when pressed that the message had been delivered directly to Iranian leaders.
Trump also tied the growing U.S. naval presence in the region explicitly to Iran, saying American warships “have to float someplace” and “might as well float near Iran” as Washington weighs its next steps.
AS IRAN WEAKENS, QUESTIONS GROW OVER MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN’S REGIONAL AMBITIONS
Despite the president’s words that Iran wants to make a deal, the official cautioned that “Iran always wants to make a deal, but the question is what kind of deal? Is it acceptable to the U.S.?
“We don’t see it coming together at this moment,” the official said. “Everybody knows the U.S. is bringing capabilities to the region in general to deal not with whatever the plan is but whatever the ramification of the plan is.”
Regarding the success of future U.S. actions in Iran, the official said, “There is always a problem whether you make a decision or don’t. There’s a balance of … future in the Middle East. We advise the U.S. on a better outcome at the end, using all means, including diplomatic means, and advise Iranians too. … We understand that we’re all in this — the U.S., Iran and others — and we hope for better results.”
The official said that, in the Gulf allies’ assessment, the Trump administration’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear assets heavily degraded their capabilities so that they are “not in the same situation as before.”
TRUMP SAYS IRAN CALLED ‘NUMEROUS’ TIMES TO MAKE DEAL AS CARRIER ENTERS MIDDLE EAST WATERS
That being said, they believe an “off ramp could be reached by Iranians doing the right thing.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“We want a prosperous country that supports their people. That’s what we think we should all be doing. Iran has real economic potential, energy. A lot of talent in Iran and especially abroad who live in other countries. … There’s a way to get out of it, and Iran could be a very constructive actor in the region and important actor in the region. I hope that they get there because the Iranian people deserve a lot.”
Though the U.S. has not shared its objectives or plans, the source said, “I hope that outcome is for a more stable Middle East, more prosperous.”