Live - Iran tightens grip at home, warns of strikes on US bases abroad

Summary

Iran warned Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey that it would strike US military bases on their soil if Washington attacked Iran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
Across the Middle East, the United States is withdrawing some personnel from major military bases as a precaution amid heightened regional tensions, with some staff advised to leave the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening, officials told Reuters.
European leaders and lawmakers increasingly called on the EU to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials amid the brutal crackdown on protesters, telling Iranians "help is on its way."
At least 12,000 people were killed over two nights on January 8 and 9 during protests, Iran International’s editorial board concluded, based on a review of sources and medical data.
Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said he was in direct contact with the Trump administration, calling it a potential game-changer for Iran and the region.

Jan 14, 2026, 20:30 GMT

BREAKING NEWS Britain temporarily closes embassy in Tehran - Politico

Britain has temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran and shifted operations to remote working, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing a government spokesperson.

Jan 14, 2026, 20:08 GMT

BREAKING NEWS Trump says he's been told killings, executions in Iran have stopped

US President Donald Trump said he's been informed that the killing has stopped in Iran.

"They're not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about for the last couple of days, today was going to be the day of execution," he told reporters.

“We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, stopped, and stopping. And there's no plan for executions or an execution or execution. So I've been told that in good authority,” Trump said.

“But that's just gotten to me from information that the killing has stopped, that the executions have stopped,” he added.

Asked whether military action against Iran was now off the table, Trump said: “We’ll watch and see what the process is, but we’ve been given a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”

Jan 14, 2026, 19:42 GMT

IRGC says Iran is at ‘height of readiness’ to respond to any attack

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour said the country’s armed forces were at a high level of readiness and warned of a decisive response to any “miscalculation by the enemy.”

In the statement, Pakpour accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the nationwide protests in Iran.

Jan 14, 2026, 19:31 GMT

G7 warn Iran of further sanctions over protest crackdown

G7 nations on Wednesday said they were “gravely concerned” by developments surrounding the ongoing protests in Iran, warning that further sanctions could follow if the authorities continue their violent crackdown.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the European Union’s high representative, said they were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” linked to the unrest.

The G7 urged Iranian authorities to “exercise full restraint, refrain from violence, and uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Iran’s citizens.”

“The members of the G7 remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement said.

Jan 14, 2026, 19:29 GMT

BREAKING NEWS Italy, Poland urge citizens to leave Iran

Italy and Poland urged their citizens to leave Iran, according to statements by the two countries’ foreign ministries issued on Wednesday.

Jan 14, 2026, 17:54 GMT

Lufthansa tells staff in Israel to prepare to leave, flights to be canceled

Lufthansa has told its staff in Israel to prepare to leave the country and for the cancellation of flights starting on Thursday, people familiar with the matter told Iran International.

Jan 14, 2026, 17:40 GMT

Iran enters seventh day of telecoms blackout, NetBlocks says

Iran has entered a seventh day of a near-total telecommunications blackout, with disruptions surpassing 144 hours and ranking among the longest on record, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on Wednesday.

Jan 14, 2026, 17:26 GMT

US, regional partners launch air defense operations cell in Qatar

The United States and its regional partners have established a new air and missile defense coordination cell at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to strengthen integrated defenses across the Middle East, US Central Command said on Wednesday.

The Middle Eastern Air Defense – Combined Defense Operations Cell is based within the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid and is staffed by US personnel and regional partners.

“This is a significant step forward in strengthening regional defense cooperation,” CENTCOM commander Navy Admiral Brad Cooper said, adding that the new cell would improve coordination and information-sharing on air and missile defense responsibilities.

Jan 14, 2026, 17:03 GMT

UK withdraws some personnel from Qatar air base - report

Britain is withdrawing some personnel from an air base in Qatar ahead of possible US strikes, the i newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Jan 14, 2026, 16:38 GMT

US military action on Iran could come within 24 hours - Reuters

US military intervention in Iran appeared likely and could come within the next 24 hours, Reuters reported, citing two European officials.

President Donald Trump appeared to have taken a decision to intervene, though the scope and timing were not yet clear, the report added citing an Israeli official.

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