Tehran Times

2026-02-06 14:57
Iran and US are holding nuclear talks in Oman

TEHRAN - Iranian and U.S. negotiators are holding indirect talks in Muscat, Oman, on Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of American-led sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
- Diplomacy and threats are incompatible, Iran tells US

Trump cannot risk war with Iran, John Helmer says

Veteran journalist warns that a prolonged conflict would trigger inflation, casualties, and a political crisis in Washington

TEHRAN — As tensions persist between Iran and the United States amid intensified military signaling and renewed talk of negotiations, critical questions remain about Washington’s real strategy and the risk of a broader regional conflict. In this context, Tehran Times spoke with John Helmer, a veteran journalist and geopolitical analyst based in Moscow, to examine the shifting balance of power and the prospects for de-escalation.
Iran calls Merz naive, hopes a ‘mature’ person would take over leadership in Germany

TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign minister has lashed out at German Chancellor Fredrich Merz, expressing hope that a “mature” person will return to German leadership.
By Staff Writer

US poised to return to the negotiating table it bombed in June

Iranians offer Trump another chance after regional countries step in

TEHRAN – Iranians have agreed to give diplomacy with the United States another chance after at least seven regional countries urged Tehran in calls with President Masoud Pezeshkian to set aside Washington’s long record of bad faith and pursue talks.
Ex-nuclear chief warns against foreign ‘mischief’ as Iran and US set to resume nuclear talk

TEHRAN - The former director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization has expressed optimism about the looming nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States.
Group painting exhibition “Timeless Love” opens on birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (AS)

TEHRAN – Coinciding with the birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (AS), Akhlagh Cultural Center in Tehran is hosting the group painting exhibition “Timeless Love”.

Politics

Iran has strengthened deterrence by upgrading its ballistic missiles: military chief

TEHRAN - Visiting an IRGC missile town on Wednesday, Chief of the Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said the Islamic Republic has strengthened its deterrence power by upgrading its ballistic missiles.
War on Iran could blow up entire region, Lavrov warns

TEHRAN - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned the Middle East is like a powder keg waiting for a chain reaction, and a war between the U.S. and Iran could trigger it.
Iranians won’t succumb to psychological warfare: 2600 Iranian psychologists tell US

TEHRAN - Some 2600 psychologists and advisors from various Iranian universities have signed a statement in reaction to Washington’s repeated military threats against Iran and efforts to inject psychological instability into the Iranian society.

Sports

Fajr Sepase defeat Tractor: 2025/26 PGPL

TEHRAN – Fajr Sepasi secured a 2–1 victory over Tractor in Matchweek 20 of the 2025/26 Iran Persian Gulf Professional League (PGPL) on Friday.
Iran’s flag-bearers announced for 2026 Winter Olympics

TEHRAN - Samaneh Beyrami Baher and Danial Saveh Shemshaki will carry Iran’s flag into the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, a quiet but powerful moment for a nation rarely seen on snow-covered podiums.
Hassan Yazdani wins silver at Zagreb Open 2026

TEHRAN – Iranian freestyle wrestler Hassan Yazdani won a silver medal at the Zagreb Open 2026 on Thursday.

Culture

Iranian documentary "The Leather Notebook" unveils Trump-Epstein connection

TEHRAN- Iranian filmmaker Mojtaba Minavand has recently made a documentary on the intricate web of connections surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Loose adaptation of Albert Camus’ “The Plague” on stage in Tehran

TEHRAN- A loose adaptation of French philosopher and novelist Albert Camus’ novel “The Plague” is currently on stage at Hafez Theater Hall in Tehran.
“Ashoon” audiobook released

TEHRAN_The audio version of the book “Ashoon” written by the Iranian author Tahereh Rafat has been released on the Persian audiobook platforms.

Economy

South Pars gas output sets 9 production records over past 2 years

TEHRAN – Iran’s South Pars gas field has set nine production records over the past two years, with daily output reaching a new high of 727 million cubic meters, underscoring the field’s central role in meeting the country’s energy demand.
China backs east–west corridor through Iran, economy minister says

TEHRAN – Iran’s economy minister said China has strongly backed routing an east–west transport corridor through Iran, following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a recent visit to Beijing.
Oil product transfers from Persian Gulf region rise 13%

TEHRAN – Iran’s Persian Gulf oil pipelines region recorded a 13 percent rise in oil product transfers in the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year (late March, 2025-late January, 2026) compared with the same period last year, the regional director said.

Society

Plan to launch IRCS medical center in Yerevan in final stage

TEHRAN – The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Pirhossein Kolivand, and the president of the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS), Davit Nersisyan, have conferred about the final stage of a project to establish a medical center in Yerevan.
Iran, Uzbekistan extend deadline for joint scientific research submission

TEHRAN – Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) and the Agency for Innovative Development under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan have extended the deadline for the submission of joint scientific research.
Second round of polio vaccination to kick off by mid-February

TEHRAN – The supplementary phase of the national immunization campaign for polio eradication, using domestically produced vaccines, will be carried out from February 14 to 16, targeting some 700,000 children under the age of five.

Tourism

Iran tourism has potential to rebound quickly, guides’ head says

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism industry has the capacity to recover quickly if security, stability and policy coordination are strengthened, the head of the Iranian Tourist Guides Association said on Thursday.
Before refrigerators, Iran had Yakhchals: Where did summer ice come from?

GONABAD – Have you ever paused, while sipping a chilled sharbat or juice with ice cubes floating inside, or enjoying an iced tea or iced coffee, to wonder how people kept their drinks and food cool before modern refrigerators and ice makers existed? Did they have access to cold water during the scorching days of summer? To find the answers, one can look to the heart of Iran’s desert cities—places where architectural ingenuity and human adaptation to nature gave rise to remarkable structures known as yakhchals, or icehouses.
Iran highlights on view at EMITT 2026

TEHRAN – Iran has taken part in the 29th edition of the EMITT 2026 International Tourism Exhibition, which opened on Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey.

International

Israel kills 18 Palestinians in Gaza bombing

TEHRAN- Israeli fighter jets bombed the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, including three children, according to local media.
UN chief urges Gaza aid as Israel blocks most medical evacuees at Rafah

TEHRAN- United Nations chief Antonio Guterres again has called on Israel to immediately allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli authorities continue to block dozens of Palestinians from exiting the war-ravaged enclave to seek medical treatment.
Trump’s call to ‘nationalize’ elections draws furious pushback

TEHRAN- President Donald Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his controversial suggestion that Republicans "nationalize" elections as he continued to make false claims of widespread voter fraud and refused to accept his 2020 defeat, ABC news reported.

Veteran journalist warns that a prolonged conflict would trigger inflation, casualties, and a political crisis in Washington

Iranians offer Trump another chance after regional countries step in