Turkish foreign minister says no immediate threat of Iran-US war - CNN Turk

He said Tehran would abandon proportional retaliation and instead move to strike what he described as the “roots” of American interests across the region.

“In response to a potential act of aggression, we are not looking to respond tit for tat,” Larijani said. “Our posture would move from defensive to offensive, striking points where we believe we must hit the roots of that force’s presence in the region.”

He contrasted what he called a “defensive philosophy” — limited, proportional retaliation — with what he described as a broader strategy that would be activated if the United States initiated hostilities.

“This time, if they do it, we will move beyond that into a much broader offensive approach,” he said, adding that Iran’s “target set changes significantly” under such a scenario.

Referring to past hostilities, Larijani said Iran had gained “a great deal of experience” in the June conflict with the United States and Israel and warned there would be “many surprises” for the enemy.

He also took aim at President Donald Trump’s approach, saying his strategy of launching a rapid strike followed by a propaganda campaign “would not be workable” under the framework set by Iran’s leadership.

“They should prepare many coffins for the bodies of their slain troops who will arrive in Washington,” Larijani said, adding that American interests in the region would “go up in smoke.”

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official Aziz Ghazanfari, a deputy head of the Guard’s political department, said Washington initially presented Iran with four demands that went beyond the nuclear issue when outlining a framework for diplomacy.

According to Ghazanfari, US officials insisted that any diplomatic path would require Iran to address its ballistic missile program, curb support for regional armed groups, and accept limits on uranium enrichment.

In a commentary published by Sobh-e Sadegh, a weekly outlet affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, he said the message was accompanied by a warning that failure to accept the conditions would leave Iran vulnerable to military action.

Ghazanfari described the approach as “psychological warfare” aimed at pressuring Tehran ahead of indirect talks held in Muscat.

The indirect talks in Oman, which began on Friday through intermediaries, were described by both sides as preliminary.

Officials have said the discussions may continue this week, though neither Washington nor Tehran has publicly outlined a timetable or agenda beyond broad references to diplomacy.

The talks come as the United States has stepped up its military posture in the region. Washington has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying naval assets to the Middle East, citing the need to deter escalation.

President Donald Trump has warned that “bad things could happen” if Iran does not reach a deal, while also saying he prefers a diplomatic outcome.

Ghazanfari said Iran rejected the US conditions outright and insisted that negotiations be limited to the nuclear file, asserting that Tehran’s position prevented Washington from setting the terms of engagement through threats or coercion.

He portrayed Tehran’s stance as a demonstration of resolve, arguing that refusing to negotiate under pressure reflected what he described as Iran’s “national strength.”

While the identities of many remain unconfirmed, the stories behind these images have helped create a shared narrative for a public mourning thousands of deaths during just two days of crackdown on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.

In the weeks since, artists have used technology to blend modern tragedy with Persian mythology. These digital tributes often place fallen protesters in settings reminiscent of the Shahnameh, Iran’s national epic, lending the dead a sense of timeless honor.

The firefighter

One of the most widely shared figures is Hamid Mahdavi, a firefighter from the northeastern city of Mashhad, who was killed on Jan. 8 after being shot in the throat.

Social media posts and witness accounts say Mahdavi spent his final hours carrying wounded protesters away from lines of security forces. Digital artists have reimagined him as a guardian figure.

Videos circulating online show a man carrying the injured, but activists say it is difficult to confirm with absolute certainty whether the person in the footage is Mahdavi. For those mourning, however, the image has become inseparable from his story.

The firefighter from Mashhad is now widely seen as a symbol of rescue.

“He was brave, kind and honorable,” one user wrote in Persian on Instagram, where Mahdavi had been active before his killing. “His memory will remain eternal.”

Another wrote: “I’ve watched this video a hundred times and I still cannot stop crying.”

The man as shield

In another story that has become central to the narrative of the January uprising, a man identified by social media users as Mohammad Jabbari, or “Mohammad Agha,” is reported to have died while protecting others.

In a video that has gone viral, a man is seen holding open a building door to let protesters inside for safety, then attempting to force it shut against advancing security agents.

According to activist accounts, agents shot the man at close range after forcing their way through. Digital artists now depict him as a literal shield, with some comparing the scene to moments from the Shahnameh.

While the man’s identity cannot be verified with certainty, the narrative of “the man at the door” has taken on powerful symbolic meaning as an act of self-sacrifice.

Social media comments reflect a deep emotional connection to the scene.

“One day we will see this statue standing in the heart of Tehran,” one person wrote. Others simply posted, “Hold the door,” a phrase that has become shorthand for the act shown in the footage.

“These symbols must be built in our Iran so that future generations remember their history,” another user commented.

Shared memory for the future

The use of AI and rapidly produced digital art has allowed Iranians to create a visual record in real time.

As the government restricts traditional media and periodically shuts down the internet, these images offer a way to preserve stories the state cannot easily erase.

“We do not know the names of everyone who fell,” one user wrote beneath a viral tribute. “But these images carry the meaning of what happened. They are the glue that holds our story together.”

By focusing on individuals like Mahdavi and the man at the door, the protest movement has moved beyond statistics. Even when identities remain unconfirmed, the images ensure that stories of resistance continue to circulate—inside Iran and beyond it.

France and Germany on Monday condemned Iran’s latest prison sentence against Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, denouncing what they described as a continued effort by Tehran to silence one of the country’s most prominent human rights advocates.

In a statement issued on February 9, France said it had learned “with deep concern” of Mohammadi’s sentencing to seven and a half years in prison.

The French Foreign Ministry said the ruling showed that Iranian authorities had once again chosen “repression and intimidation,” disregarding the fundamental rights of the Iranian people.

“Through this conviction, the Iranian regime is once again choosing repression and intimidation, in contempt of the fundamental rights of the Iranian people, of which Narges Mohammadi is the tireless defender,” the statement said, calling for her immediate release.

Germany also reacted strongly, praising Mohammadi’s courage and condemning the new prison term.

“Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Iran, fearlessly stood up for human rights," Tobias Tunkel, the Director of the German Foreign Ministry's Middle East and North Africa Department said.

"The regime in Tehran sentenced her to another long prison term. We strongly condemn this attempt to silence her and all the other human rights defenders. It will not succeed,” he said.

US Vice-President JD Vance said on Monday that Tehran's brutal crackdown on protesters has "already very much been part of the negotiations that we've had" and "I'm sure that will continue."

"We stand with the people of Iran. we stand with the right of peaceful protest across the world and certainly people who want to exercise that right in Iran," he added during a press conference in Yerevan, Armenia.

Asked about the US red lines in negotiations with Tehran, Vance said President Trump is "going to make the ultimate determination about where we draw the red lines in the negotiations."

"He doesn't announce what he's going to do in a negotiation because he thinks that it constrains him in private. He he's going to have a I think a lot of good conversations with his team and with others in the in the in the days and weeks to come."