Iran in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
In Iran in January 2026, the most reported development was the confrontation with the United States over the country's nuclear programme. On 28 January Donald Trump warned that time was running out for a deal, said a future US attack would be far worse than previous ones and spoke of a massive armada heading to the region. Iran's UN mission said Tehran was ready for dialogue, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiating under military threat was not useful. On 30 January Araghchi said Iran was prepared for fair nuclear talks but would not discuss its defence capabilities, and Trump said he had spoken with Iranian leaders. By 31 January Iranian officials said a framework for negotiations was taking shape, and Trump confirmed talks were taking place.
The month opened with nationwide protests and a crackdown. Iran's judiciary said there would be no leniency for detainees and announced fast trials. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed foreign mercenaries and later acknowledged thousands of deaths. Britain, France and Germany condemned the killings in a joint statement, and the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council held sessions on Iran. Trump threatened action if protesters were executed, said on 15 January that the killings had stopped, and later claimed Iran had cancelled more than 800 executions; Iran's top prosecutor called that completely false. Trump called for new leadership in Iran, and Khamenei called him a criminal. The World Economic Forum withdrew Araghchi's invitation to Davos, and on 29 January the European Union designated the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organisation, which Iran called illegal.
Regional diplomacy intensified. Iran warned it could attack Israel and US bases if struck. Gulf states and Turkey urged Washington against military action, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia said their airspace would not be used against Iran. Turkey offered to mediate and held talks with Iranian officials in Ankara on 30 January, while Vladimir Putin met Iranian security chief Ali Larijani in Moscow. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last shah, called for change of government, and Iran called the US removal of Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro a kidnapping.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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