Iran on high alert, building explodes over Gulf. Trump: they are negotiating

Iran's army chief of staff renewed warnings that Tehran might strike Israel, as speculation intensifies about a possible US military attack on the Islamic Republic.

"If the enemy makes a mistake, they will undoubtedly jeopardise their own security, that of the region, and that of the Zionist regime," Major General Amir Hatami was quoted as saying by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency on Saturday.

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, today paid homage to the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, at his mausoleum in Tehran, on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and the beginning of the Ten Days Dawn (Fajr) celebrations. During the visit, the leader of the Islamic Revolution honoured the memory of the founder of the Islamic Republic by reciting verses from the Holy Quran and saying prayers at the mausoleum. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Mehr.

Five people were killed and two injured in an explosion at a residential complex in Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, and a child was killed in an explosion at a building in Bandar Abbas, south-eastern Iran. This is what emerges from Iranian press reports, which favour the accidental track of the explosions. According to the Irna news agency, there was no drone attack on the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy in Hormozgan province (of which Bandar Abbas is the capital) and no building affiliated with this force was damaged. Meanwhile, Israeli sources told YnetGlobal that there is no known connection between the explosions in Iran and Israel.

Israel was not involved in the series of explosions in Iran today. This was reported by the Times of Israel. According to Iranian state media, an explosion occurred in a residential building in the Gulf coastal city of Bandar Abbas, adding, however, that the cause of the blast is not yet known. State television says the explosion occurred in an eight-storey building, "destroying two floors, several vehicles and shops" in the Moallem Boulevard area of the city. In addition, in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan, four people were killed in an apparent gas explosion that also occurred today in the Kianshahr district of the city of Ahvaz. State media claim that both explosions are under investigation, but did not provide further information.

Iran will hold a joint naval exercise with the naval forces of China and Russia in the northern Indian Ocean region in a few weeks, the eighth edition of the joint 'Maritime Security Belt' exercise. Tasnim writes this, after the Al-Mayadeen channel said that Russia and China had cancelled their participation in the exercise. The series of 'Maritime Security Belt' exercises began in 2019 at the initiative of the Iranian Navy. Meanwhile, Press TV reported, the Revolutionary Guards announced that their naval forces will conduct live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on 1 and 2 February.

In addition to the explosion in a building in Bandar Abbas, the causes of which are still being investigated and the injured in hospital, explosions were reported today in the two cities of Khorramshahr and Abadan, in the south-western province of Khuzestan, about 50 kilometres from the waters of the Persian Gulf. Irna reported that the incidents were related to explosives left over from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, near the border area with Iraq.

Another explosion occurred in the provincial city of Ahvaz in Khuzestan, killing four people, 'connected to a gas leak', state media reported. With the escalation of tensions between Iran and the US in recent days, there have been sounds of explosions and the activation of the defence system in Tehran, as well as loud explosions in the eastern part of the capital, where some nuclear sites are located, in recent days. Explosions were also heard in other cities, including Dezful and Isfahan, on which the government made no statements.

- Tension rises in Iran. According to several local media reports, an explosion - the cause of which is unknown - took place in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Rumours (and denials) in these minutes also claim that the explosion was aimed at a high commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy, namely Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. The Iranian website Tasnim states that the hypothesis, spread on some Telegram channels, of the assassination of Commander Tangsiri is 'completely false'.

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Huge explosion in a building in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, on the Gulf coast, due to causes that remain unknown at the moment. State media reported this, pointing out that the roar affected an eight-storey building in the Moallem Boulevard area. According to state television, the explosion destroyed two floors of the building and damaged several vehicles and shops in the vicinity. Rescue teams and firefighters were on the scene to render assistance and secure the area.

The commander of the Iranian army, General Amir Hatami, stated that the armed forces are "in a state of maximum defence and military readiness" and are "monitoring the enemy's movements in the region". Speaking today in Tehran at the ceremony of the 'Young Soldier of the Armed Forces', the general added: "They are completely under our surveillance and, since we are aware of their malicious intentions, we have our finger on the trigger." "If they made a mistake," he added, "they would undoubtedly jeopardise their own security, that of their soldiers, the region and the criminal Zionist regime. According to Iranian media reports, Hatami then remarked that 'if they want, and should want, to solve a problem, they must treat the great and proud nation of Iran with respect'.

Senior US military officials have informed the leadership of a key US ally in the Middle East that President Donald Trump may authorise a US attack on Iran this weekend, the independent Drop Site News wrote, citing several sources. Attacks could begin as early as Sunday, the ally was informed, if the US decides to proceed. "This is not about nuclear weapons or the missile programme. This is about regime change," said a former senior US intelligence official who advises Arab governments and is an informal adviser to the Trump administration on Middle East policy. The source told Drop Site that the US plans attacks targeting nuclear, ballistic missile and other military sites around Iran, but also aims to decapitate the Iranian government, and in particular the leadership and capabilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (Irgc).

Iran's army chief has renewed warnings that Tehran may attack Israel as tensions rise amid fears of a possible US military attack on the Islamic Republic. "If the enemy makes a mistake, it will undoubtedly endanger its own security, the security of the region and the security of the Zionist regime," Major General Amir Hatami was quoted by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency as saying on Saturday.

Tehran is closely monitoring hostile movements throughout the region, Hatami said, adding that "our finger is on the trigger", the agency reported. The day before, Ali Shamkhani, adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had told Beirut-based broadcaster Al Mayadeen that Tehran was ready to give a "proportionate, effective and deterrent response", including attacks deep into Israeli territory, if it detected "hostile intentions".

Concerns about a US attack on Iran intensified after President Donald Trump ordered military equipment to be sent to the Middle East this month following Tehran's brutal crackdown on protesters. On Friday, Trump said he had convinced the Iranian leadership to postpone the execution of the protesters and again urged the country to negotiate a nuclear deal.

Questa immagine fornita dalla Marina degli Stati Uniti mostra il capitano Daniel Keeler, comandante della portaerei classe Nimitz USS Abraham Lincoln, mentre si prepara a pilotare un elicottero MH-60R Sea Hawk nell'Oceano Indiano il 23 gennaio 2026. (Specialista in comunicazione di massa Daniel Kimmelman/Marina degli Stati Uniti tramite AP) Associated Press/ LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said on Friday during a private meeting in Washington that if US President Donald Trump does not follow up on his threats against Iran, the regime will be strengthened. This was reported by Axios, reporting that they had heard this from four sources who were present in the room. This is a reversal of Saudi public statements warning against escalation and the deep concern expressed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Mbs) to Trump three weeks ago. Axios points out that that warning was one of the reasons why Trump decided to postpone the attack.

"Iran's nuclear science and technology cannot be eliminated, even if the scientists and children of this nation are killed". This is what the head of the Iranian military, General Amir Hatami, said in a statement taken by the official Irna news agency. Hatami's words come after Donald Trump set two conditions to avoid military action against Iran: 'number one, no nuclear power. Number two, stop the killing of protesters'.

The daily Kayhan, headed by the representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called for the expulsion of EU ambassadors from Iran in response to the EU's decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation. Iran International reported this. The newspaper wrote that such a step would be tantamount to severing diplomatic relations with Europe and described the EU decision as 'hostile and illegal'.

'Iran is in full defensive and military readiness and is closely monitoring the enemy's movements in the region'. This was said by Iranian army commander Amir Hatami, quoted by Irna, emphasising, "We are on high alert and have our hand on the trigger, and if the enemy (the US) makes a mistake, it will endanger its own security and that of the region and the Zionist regime, as any aggression will meet with a harsh response and serious damage from Iran."

Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, Leader Ali Khamenei's representative to Iran's Supreme Defence Council, stated last night: 'Our message is clear: any movement that indicates hostile intentions on the part of the enemy will be met with a proportionate, effective and deterrent response. This proportionate response also includes attacking the roots of the Zionist regime'.

Iran has announced a two-day naval live-fire exercise in the Strait of Hormuz starting on Sunday, after the US deployed the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and other US military assets to the Middle East. Al Jazeera writes this.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said today that US, Israeli, and European leaders have exploited Iran's economic problems, incited unrest, and provided the population with the means to 'divide the nation' in recent protests.

The two-week-long nationwide protests, which began in late December due to an economic crisis characterised by galloping inflation and the rising cost of living, subsided after a bloody crackdown by the clerical authorities that, according to the US-based human rights group HRANA, left at least 6,563 people dead, including 6,170 protesters and 214 members of the security forces. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told CNN Turk that 3,100 people were killed, including 2,000 members of the security forces.

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The United States calls on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which announced its intention to begin a two-day naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, 'to conduct the announced naval exercise in a safe and professional manner, avoiding unnecessary risks to the freedom of navigation of international maritime traffic'. This was stated in a memo issued by the US Central Command (Centcom). The US Command points out that the Strait of Hormuz 'is an international seaway and a vital trade corridor that supports regional economic prosperity. On any given day, approximately 100 global merchant ships pass through this narrow passage'.

(As tensions rise over Iran's bloody crackdown on domestic protests, satellite images show activity at two Iranian nuclear sites bombed last year by Israel and the US, which could indicate that Tehran is trying to hide efforts to recover materials left there. The Times of Israel reports. Planet Labs Pbc images show that roofs have been erected over two damaged buildings at the Isfahan and Natanz facilities, the first major satellite-observable activity at one of the country's stricken nuclear sites since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June. These covers prevent satellites from seeing what is happening on the ground, which is the only way International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors can monitor the sites at this time, as Iran has blocked their access.

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"I reiterated that Iran has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and is ready to embrace a fair and equitable nuclear deal that meets the legitimate interests of our people; this includes the guarantee of 'No Nuclear Weapons' and the lifting of sanctions." This was written on X by Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

"Together with other brotherly neighbours, Turkey has offered its good offices to pursue peace and stability in the region. The Islamic Republic of Iran is grateful for such efforts and welcomes them,' he added. Iran is always ready to cooperate with states in the region to protect peace and stability in our region and protect it from illegal aggression." In an attempt to avert escalation with the US, Araghchi flew to Istanbul after Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey offered to mediate "to reduce tensions", going so far as to propose a trilateral meeting "at the highest level".