EU designates Iran Guards as 'terrorist organisation'

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Qatar's emir and the Iranian president discussed regional de-escalation efforts in a phone call on Thursday, as Tehran faced off with Washington.

"During the call, they also discussed the latest regional and international developments, particularly the current situation and the efforts being made to de-escalate tensions and establish stability," the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported of the talks between Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called Thursday for diplomacy to resolve spiralling tensions between Iran and the United States, as both trade military threats amid President Donald Trump's push for a nuclear deal with Tehran.

"We believe that it's important that there is a dialogue allowing for an agreement in relation, namely, to the nuclear question and that we can avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region," Guterres told reporters.

Iran must be ready for war, its first vice president said on Thursday, after the US moved an aircraft carrier to the region and did not rule out military action against Tehran over its deadly protest crackdown.

"Today we must be prepared for a state of war. Our strategy is that we will never start a war, but if it is imposed, we will defend ourselves," First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

He added that Iran was "ready" for negotiations with the United States but said "this time we want guarantees", without giving further details.

Iran threatened Thursday to instantly strike US bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack, after US President Donald Trump warned time was running out for Tehran, and the EU blacklisted its Revolutionary Guards as a terror group.

An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran's response to any US action would not be limited, as it was in June last year when American planes and missiles briefly joined Israel's short air war against Iran -- but would be a decisive response "delivered instantly".

Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia told state television US aircraft carriers have "serious vulnerabilities" and that numerous American bases in the Gulf region are "within the range of our medium-range missiles".

"If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines, carrying out a quick operation and then, two hours later, tweeting that the operation is over," he said.

An official in the Gulf, where states host US military sites, told AFP that fears of a US strike on Iran are "very clear".

"It would bring the region into chaos, it would hurt the economy not just in the region but in the US and cause oil and gas prices to skyrocket," the official added.

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday expressed concern for the welfare of Iranian athletes amid the country's escalating unrest, saying it remains in contact with Iran's Olympic community.

The IOC told Reuters in a statement, which was supported by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and the Winter Olympic Federations, about its concerns for the situation facing Iranian athletes.

"At this moment in time, we are particularly concerned about the situation of Iranian athletes impacted by the events unfolding in their country - as we are with all athletes who face conflict and tragedies elsewhere in the world," the IOC said.

"Unfortunately, these situations are more regularly brought to our attention due to the increasingly divided world in which we live.

"We have to be realistic about the IOC's ability to directly influence global and national affairs. At the same time, we will continue to work with our Olympic stakeholders to help where we can, often through quiet sport diplomacy."

Iran will deliver an immediate response in case of an attack by the United States, the army spokesman said Thursday, warning that US military bases in the region or an aircraft carrier could be targets.

"A decisive response will be delivered instantly," army spokesman brigadier general Mohammad Akraminia told state television after the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in the region, saying that US aircraft carriers have "serious vulnerabilities" and that numerous American bases are "within the range of our medium-range missiles".

"If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way (US President Donald) Trump imagines, carrying out a quick operation and then, two hours later, tweeting that the operation is over," he warned.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said Iran had the option to make a deal and should not pursue a nuclear capability, adding that the Department of Defence would be prepared to deliver whatever President Donald Trump expected.

Iran reacted with fury on Thursday after the EU blacklisted the country's Revolutionary Guards as a terror group, as Tehran faced off with Washington after US President Donald Trump warned time was running out for a nuclear deal.

The European Union piled on mounting pressure on Iran on Thursday by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a "terrorist organisation" over a deadly crackdown on recent mass protests

"'Terrorist' is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people's protests in blood," said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, welcoming the "overdue" decision.

The World Health Organisation chief said Thursday that the UN agency had confirmed recent attacks on a hospital in Iran, while multiple health facilities were damaged in the unrest, leaving dozens of paramedics injured.

"I am deeply concerned by multiple reports of health personnel and medical facilities in Iran being impacted by the recent insecurity, and prevented from delivering their essential services to people requiring care," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

He pointed to reports in recent days of "health workers assaulted, and at least five doctors detained, while treating injured patients".

"I call for the release of any health worker in detention. Healthcare personnel should never face intimidation," he insisted.

I am deeply concerned by multiple reports of health personnel and medical facilities in Iran being impacted by the recent insecurity, and prevented from delivering their essential services to people requiring care.

In recent days, there have been reports of health workers…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 29, 2026

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the move by EU foreign ministers to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation on Thursday, calling it an "an important and historic decision".

"The number one actor in spreading terror and undermining regional stability has now been called by its name," Saar wrote on X, adding that "the legitimacy of this murderous and oppressive regime has suffered a powerful blow today".

Iran must be ready for war, its first vice president said on Thursday, after the US moved an aircraft carrier to the region and did not rule out military action against Tehran over its deadly protest crackdown.

"Today we must be prepared for a state of war. Our strategy is that we will never start a war, but if it is imposed, we will defend ourselves," First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

He added that Iran was "ready" for negotiations with the United States but said "this time we want guarantees", without giving further details.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Hamas would give up weapons, a step the militants have not confirmed, in what would be a major step forward in a fragile ceasefire with Israel.

"A lot of people said they'll never disarm. It looks like they're going to disarm," Trump told a cabinet meeting.

Iran's military on Thursday blasted a European Union move to designate the country's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation, saying the decision was "irresponsible and spite-driven".

"The illogical, irresponsible and spite-driven action of the European Union has undoubtedly been taken in unquestioning obedience to the hegemonic and anti-human policies of the United States and the Zionist (Israeli) regime," a statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces carried by the official IRNA news agency said.

Tehran's top diplomat on Thursday slammed the European Union's decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards a "terrorist organisation" as a "major strategic mistake".

"Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. Europe is instead busy fanning the flames," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X, as Iran faces off with the United States which has moved a strike force to the Middle East.

"After pursuing 'snapback' at the behest of the US, it is now making another major strategic mistake by designating our National Military as a supposed 'terrorist organisation'," he added, referring to the return of UN sanctions on Iran triggered by key European powers last year.

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to add Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the bloc's list of terrorist organisations, European Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday on social media platform X.

"EU Foreign Ministers just took the decisive step of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation. Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise", Kallas said.

The US Navy has sent an additional warship to the Middle East, a US official told Reuters on Thursday, amid a large military buildup in the region and soaring tensions.

The official, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USS Delbert D. Black had entered the region in the past 48 hours.

This brings the number of destroyers in the Middle East to six, along with an aircraft carrier and three other littoral combat ships.

The additional warship in the region was first reported by CBS News.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval forces will carry out live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on 1 and 2 February, Press TV reported on Thursday.

The strait is the world's most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The Red Cross said it facilitated the transfer of 15 Palestinian bodies to the Gaza Strip on Thursday after the last captive held in the territory was returned to Israel earlier this week.

"The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today facilitated the return of 15 deceased Palestinians to Gaza... This marks the completion of a months-long operation that reunited families and supported the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," the ICRC said in a statement.

Under the US-sponsored Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. Israeli forces brought home on Monday the remains of Ran Gvili, the last captive held in Gaza.

The EU on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran's interior minister, prosecutor general and regional Revolutionary Guard commanders over a deadly crackdown on mass protests.

The 27-nation bloc in total added 15 officials and six entities to its asset freeze and visa ban blacklist, according to the EU's official journal.

The adoption of the sanctions comes as EU foreign ministers are expected separately to agree to add Iran's Revolutionary Guards to the bloc's list of "terrorist" organisations.

Any military action from the United States will see Iran targeting the US, Israel and those who support it, Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a post on X.

His comments come after US President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next U.S. attack would be far worse. 

 Russia is ready to evacuate its staff from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant if necessary, Alexei Likhachev, the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation, was cited as saying on Thursday by the state news agency TASS.

President Vladimir Putin said last year that hundreds of Russians were working at the facility, Iran's only operating nuclear power plant, which Moscow built for Iran.

More nuclear facilities are currently being built at the Bushehr site by Russia.

A U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in June last year did not target Bushehr. Likhachev warned at the time that an attack on the site could trigger a catastrophe comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

On Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to come to the table and make a deal renouncing nuclear weapons, or the next U.S. attack would be far worse.

Likhachev was quoted as saying: "We sincerely hope that the parties to the conflict will uphold their commitments regarding the inviolability of this territory (Bushehr).

"But, as they say, we are keeping our finger on the pulse and, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, we will be ready to carry out evacuation measures if necessary."

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, and Russia says it supports Tehran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. 

European Union foreign ministers adopted new Iran sanctions on Thursday targeting individuals and entities involved in a violent crackdown on protesters and the country's support to Russia.

The ministers are also expected to reach a political agreement to include Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the bloc's list of terrorist organisations, putting the group in a category similar to the Islamic State and al Qaeda and marking a symbolic shift in Europe's approach to Iran's leadership.

Israeli fire killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, health officials said, in Israel's latest ceasefire violation, as Hamas and Israel braced to implement the second phase of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal.

Medics said two men were killed by Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis, in an area adjacent to where the army operates. The Israeli military didn't make an immediate comment.

The Gaza health ministry said Israeli fire has killed at least 490 people since the ceasefire began in October in the war-shattered enclave.

The Trump administration is hosting senior defence and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia for talks on Iran this week as US President Donald Trump considers military strikes, Axios reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

A batch of 1,000 drones was received by the various branches of the Iranian army, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday, amid growing tensions, with the US President Donald Trump warning of an attack if Tehran refuses a nuclear deal.

"In accordance with the threats ahead, the army maintains and enhances its strategic advantages for rapid combat and imposing a crushing response against any aggressor," the army's Commander-in-Chief Amir Hatami said.

Israel's Supreme Court is set to hear challenges to laws passed in the Knesset that seeks to ban and dismantle the UN's agency for Palestine Refugees on 2 February, according to The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah).

The hearing comes after Adalah filed a petition that argues the laws passed in the Knesset "violates the fundamental rights of Palestinian refugees to dignity, education, health and property," according to a press release from Adalah.

The laws have seen UNRWA barred from conducting its humanitarian operations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, with Israel demolishing UNRWA's headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem on 20 January.

Brent crude oil topped $70 a barrel Thursday for the first time since September as US President Donald Trump ramped up geopolitical tensions by threatening military strikes on Iran.

In London morning deals the Brent North Sea crude contract, an international benchmark, jumped 2.4 percent to $70.06 a barrel.

The US benchmark West Texas Intermediate climbed 2.6 percent to $64.82 per barrel.

The Kremlin said on Thursday there was still room for negotiations in the standoff between ally Tehran and Washington, after US President Donald Trump threatened new military strikes on Iran.

"It is clear that the potential for negotiations is not exhausted," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, adding: "any use of force can only create chaos in the region and lead to very dangerous consequences."

Gold prices soared to a fresh record near $5,600 on Thursday, while oil rallied after Donald Trump ramped up geopolitical tensions with his threatened military strike on Iran.

Bullion piled on more than $300 at one point to top $5,595 after Trump said Tehran needed to negotiate a deal over its nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb.

"Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"The next attack will be far worse! Don't make that happen again," he added, referring to US strikes against Iranian targets in June.

Turkey will offer to help resolve tensions between Washington and Tehran when Iran's top diplomat visits, a foreign ministry source said Thursday a day ahead of the visit.

"Turkey is ready to contribute to resolving the current tensions through dialogue," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was to tell his counterpart Abbas Araghchi when the pair meet on Friday, the source said.

Israeli forces have launched raids on towns around Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa, which added that forces stormed the towns of Sa'ir and Ash-Shuyukh, detaining two Palestinians who are brothers of Qusay Halaika, who was shot dead by Israeli forces.

Israeli forces also seized a five-storey residential building in the city of Hebron, turning it into a military post and displacing the bloc's residents.

The European Union will most likely include Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its list of terrorist organisations, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday ahead of a foreign affairs ministers council.

"We are putting new sanctions on Iran and I also expect we will list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist list," she said.

Turkey is weighing contingency plans along its border if the United States attacks neighbouring Iran, a senior official told AFP on Thursday.

"If the United States attacks Iran and the regime falls, Turkey is planning additional measures to reinforce border security," said the official, who requested anonymity.