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Rohingya Refugees Mark Anniversary of Their Exodus, Demand Safe Return to Myanmar 

Rohingya refugees shout slogans as they gather to mark the seventh anniversary of their fleeing from neighboring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, during heavy monsoon rains in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Rohingya refugees shout slogans as they gather to mark the seventh anniversary of their fleeing from neighboring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, during heavy monsoon rains in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Rohingya Refugees Mark Anniversary of Their Exodus, Demand Safe Return to Myanmar 

Rohingya refugees shout slogans as they gather to mark the seventh anniversary of their fleeing from neighboring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, during heavy monsoon rains in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Rohingya refugees shout slogans as they gather to mark the seventh anniversary of their fleeing from neighboring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, during heavy monsoon rains in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2024. (Reuters)

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who live in sprawling camps in Bangladesh on Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus, demanding safe return to Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The refugees gathered in an open field at Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar district carrying banners and festoons reading “Hope is Home” and “We Rohingya are the citizens of Myanmar,” defying the rain on a day that is marked as “Rohingya Genocide Day.”

On Aug. 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of refugees started crossing the border to Bangladesh on foot and by boats amid indiscriminate killings and other violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Myanmar had launched a brutal crackdown following attacks by an insurgent group on guard posts. The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations from the international community, including the UN, of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Then-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered border guards to open the border, eventually allowing more than 700,000 refugees to take shelter in the Muslim-majority nation. The influx was in addition to the more than 300,000 refugees who had already been living in Bangladesh for decades in the wake of waves of previous violence perpetrated by Myanmar’s military.

Since 2017, Bangladesh has attempted at least twice to send the refugees back and has urged the international community to build pressure on Myanmar for a peaceful environment inside Myanmar that could help start the repatriation. Hasina also sought help from China to mediate.

But in the recent past, the situation in Rakhine state has become more volatile after a group called Arakan Army started fighting against Myanmar’s security forces. The renewed chaos forced more refugees to flee toward Bangladesh and elsewhere in a desperate move to save their lives. Hundreds of Myanmar soldiers and border guards also took shelter inside Bangladesh to flee the violence, but Bangladesh later handed them over to Myanmar peacefully.

As the protests took place in camps in Bangladesh on Sunday, the United Nations and other rights groups expressed their concern over the ongoing chaos in Myanmar.

Washington-based Refugees International in a statement on Sunday described the scenario.

“In Rakhine state, increased fighting between Myanmar’s military junta and the AA (Arakan Army) over the past year has both caught Rohingya in the middle and seen them targeted. The AA has advanced and burned homes in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and other towns, recently using drones to bomb villages,” it said.

“The junta has forcibly recruited Rohingya and bombed villages in retaliation. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have been newly displaced, including several who have tried to flee into Bangladesh,” it said.

UNICEF said that the agency received alarming reports that civilians, particularly children and families, were being targeted or caught in the crossfire, resulting in deaths and severe injuries, making humanitarian access in Rakhine extremely challenging.

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World

Satellite Images Show Iran Repairing and Fortifying Sites amid US Tensions

A satellite image shows tunnel entrances covered with soil at Isfahan nuclear complex, in Isfahan, Iran, February 10, 2026. Vantor/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image shows tunnel entrances covered with soil at Isfahan nuclear complex, in Isfahan, Iran, February 10, 2026. Vantor/Handout via REUTERS
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Satellite Images Show Iran Repairing and Fortifying Sites amid US Tensions

A satellite image shows tunnel entrances covered with soil at Isfahan nuclear complex, in Isfahan, Iran, February 10, 2026. Vantor/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image shows tunnel entrances covered with soil at Isfahan nuclear complex, in Isfahan, Iran, February 10, 2026. Vantor/Handout via REUTERS

Satellite images show that Iran has recently built a concrete shield over a new facility at a sensitive military site and covered it in soil, experts say, advancing work at a location reportedly bombed by Israel in 2024 amid tensions with the US.

Images also show that Iran has buried tunnel entrances at a nuclear site bombed by the US during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last year, fortified tunnel entrances near another, and has repaired missile bases struck in the conflict.

They offer a glimpse of Iranian activities at some of the sites at the center of tensions with Israel and the US, as Washington seeks to negotiate a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program while threatening military action if talks fail.

Some 30 km (20 miles) southeast of Tehran, the Parchin complex is one of Iran's most sensitive military sites. Western intelligence has suggested Tehran carried out tests relevant to nuclear bomb detonations there more than two decades ago.

Iran has always denied seeking atomic weapons. Israel reportedly struck Parchin in October 2024.

Satellite imagery taken before and after that attack shows extensive damage to a rectangular building at Parchin, and apparent reconstruction in images from November 6, 2024.

Imagery from October 12, 2025 shows development at the site, with the skeleton of a new structure visible and two smaller structures adjacent to it. Progress is apparent in imagery from November 14, with what appears to be a metallic roof covering the large structure.

But imagery from December 13 shows the facility partly covered. By February 16, it cannot be seen at all, hidden by what experts say is a concrete structure.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), in a January 22 analysis of satellite imagery, pointed to progress in the construction of a "concrete sarcophagus" around a newly built facility at the site, which it identified as Taleghan 2.

ISIS reported in November that imagery showed "ongoing construction and the presence of what appears to resemble a long, cylindrical chamber, maybe a high-explosives containment vessel, likely measuring approximately 36 meters long and 12 meters in diameter placed inside a building".

"High-explosive containment vessels are critical to the development of nuclear weapons," ISIS added, "but can also be used in many other conventional weapons development processes."

William Goodhind, a forensic imagery analyst with Contested Ground, said the roof had a similar hue to the surrounding area, adding: "It has most likely been covered with dirt to obscure the concrete color."

ISIS founder David Albright wrote on X: "Stalling the negotiations has its benefits: Over the last two to three weeks, Iran has been busy burying the new Taleghan 2 facility ... More soil is available and the facility may soon become a fully unrecognizable bunker, providing significant protection from aerial strikes."

TUNNEL ENTRANCES BURIED AT ISFAHAN NUCLEAR COMPLEX

The Isfahan complex is one of three Iranian uranium-enrichment plants bombed by the United States in June.

In addition to facilities that are part of the nuclear fuel cycle, Isfahan includes an underground area where diplomats say much of Iran's enriched uranium has been stored.

Satellite images taken in late January showed new efforts to bury two tunnel entrances at the complex, ISIS reported on January 29. In a February 9 update, ISIS said a third entrance had also been backfilled with soil, meaning all entrances to the tunnel complex were now "completely buried".

A February 10 image shows all three tunnels buried, Goodhind said.

ISIS reported on February 9 that "backfilling the tunnel entrances would help dampen any potential airstrike and also make ground access in a special forces raid to seize or destroy any highly enriched uranium that may be housed inside difficult".

TUNNEL ENTRANCES FORTIFIED AT COMPLEX NEAR NATANZ SITE

ISIS has reported that satellite images point to ongoing efforts since February 10 to "harden and defensively strengthen" two entrances to a tunnel complex under a mountain some 2 km (1.2 miles) from Natanz - the site that holds Iran's other two uranium enrichment plants.

Imagery shows "ongoing activity throughout the complex related to this effort, involving the movement of numerous vehicles, including dump trucks, cement mixers, and other heavy equipment", ISIS wrote.

Iran's plans for the facility, called Pickaxe Mountain, are unclear, ISIS said.

SHIRAZ SOUTH MISSILE BASE

About 10 km (6 miles) south of Shiraz in southern Iran, this is one of 25 primary bases capable of launching medium-range ballistic missiles, according to Alma Research and Education Center, an Israeli organization. Alma assessed the site had suffered light, above-ground damage in last year's war.

A comparison of images taken on July 3, 2025 and January 30 shows reconstruction and clearance efforts at the main logistics and likely command compound at the base, Goodhind said.

"The key takeaway is that the compound has yet to return to its full operational capacity from prior to the airstrikes."

QOM MISSILE BASE

Some 40 km north of the city of Qom, this base suffered moderate above-ground damage, according to Alma.

A comparison of images taken between July 16, 2025, and February 1 shows a new roof over a damaged building. The roof repairs appear to have begun on November 17 and were most likely complete 10 days later, Goodhind said.

World

Iranian Mourning Ceremonies Prompt New Crackdowns in Echo of 1979 Revolution

Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 16 February 2026. (EPA)
Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 16 February 2026. (EPA)
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Iranian Mourning Ceremonies Prompt New Crackdowns in Echo of 1979 Revolution

Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 16 February 2026. (EPA)
Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 16 February 2026. (EPA)

Iranians have returned to the streets this week to mourn those killed by security forces during last month's anti-government demonstrations, sparking some new crackdowns in an echo of the 1979 revolution that brought down the US-backed Shah.

The anti-Shah revolutionaries turned Shiite Muslim memorial processions 40 days after each death into new protests, which prompted renewed violence from the authorities and fresh "martyrs" for the cause.

The clerical establishment's opponents, deploying the same tactics after five decades, have yet to match the momentum of those times, but Iran's clerical rulers, threatened with military attack by US President Donald Trump over their nuclear and security policies, have demonstrated their concern.

They deployed security forces to some cemeteries and invited citizens to attend state-organized 40-day "Chehelom" ceremonies on Tuesday after apologizing to "all those affected" by violence they blamed on people described as "terrorists".

"They tried to prevent history repeating itself by holding these ceremonies in mosques across ‌the country. To ‌prevent any gatherings of angry families in cemeteries, but they failed," said one rights activist ‌in ⁠Iran who declined ⁠to be named for fear of retribution.

SECURITY FORCES CLASH WITH MOURNERS

Videos circulating on social media showed families holding their own memorials across Iran on Tuesday, 40 days after security forces began two days of widespread shooting that human rights groups say killed thousands of protesters.

Some of Tuesday's memorials turned into wider anti-government protests and some were met with deadly force.

In the Kurdish town of Abdanan in Ilam province, witnesses and activists said security forces opened fire on hundreds of mourners gathered at a cemetery.

Videos showed people scattering as gunfire rang out amid chants of "Death to the dictator", a reference to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Reuters journalists verified that ⁠the videos were filmed at the cemetery. They were unable to verify the date but ‌found no versions posted before Tuesday: eyewitnesses and activists said that was when ‌people gathered at the cemetery were fired upon.

Hengaw, a Kurdish Iranian rights group, said at least three people were injured and nine ‌arrested in Abdanan. Similar clashes were reported in Mashhad and Hamedan. Sources in Iran said internet access was heavily restricted ‌in those cities.

WEDNESDAY IS 40 DAYS SINCE HEIGHT OF JANUARY PROTESTS

More mourning ceremonies were expected to be taking place on Wednesday, 40 days since the deadliest two days of the January unrest, although communications restrictions meant that it was not immediately possible to tell how many or their outcome.

January's unrest grew from modest economic protests in December among traders in Tehran's Grand Bazaar into the gravest threat to ‌Iran's theocracy in nearly five decades, with protesters calling for ruling clerics to step down.

Authorities cut internet access, blaming "armed terrorists" linked to Israel and the United States ⁠for the violence, and have arrested ⁠journalists, lawyers, activists, human rights advocates and students, rights groups say.

Iranian officials have told Reuters the leadership is worried a US strike could erode its grip on power by fueling more protests. Repression, inequality, corruption and the sponsorship of proxies abroad are the main grievances.

"How long can they kill people to stay in power? People are angry, people are frustrated," said government employee Sara, 28, from the central city of Isfahan.

"The Islamic Republic has brought nothing but war, economic misery and death to my country".

Trump has deployed aircraft carriers, fighter jets, guided-missile destroyers and other capabilities to the Middle East for a possible attack if talks to limit Iran's nuclear program and weaken its foreign proxies do not yield results.

Even without a US attack, continued isolation from Western sanctions would likely fuel further public anger.

In 1979, the anti-Shah revolt in provincial towns and villages was amplified by oil workers whose strikes cut most of Iran's revenue, and bazaar merchants who funded the rebel clerics.

This time there have been no reports of either, but people have adopted some of the small-scale tactics, chanting “Allah is great” and “Death to the dictator”, often from rooftops, during nightly demonstrations, according to witnesses and social media posts.

World

Iran ‘Drafting Framework to Advance’ Future US Talks, Says FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during the Conference on Disarmament at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 17 February 2026. (EPA)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during the Conference on Disarmament at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 17 February 2026. (EPA)
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Iran ‘Drafting Framework to Advance’ Future US Talks, Says FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during the Conference on Disarmament at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 17 February 2026. (EPA)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during the Conference on Disarmament at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 17 February 2026. (EPA)

Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran was "drafting" a framework for future talks with the United States, as the US energy secretary said Washington would stop Iran's nuclear ambitions "one way or another".

Diplomatic efforts are underway to avert the possibility of US military intervention in Iran, with Washington conducting a military build-up in the region.

Iran and the US held a second round of Oman-mediated negotiations on Tuesday in Geneva, after talks last year collapsed following Israel's attack on Iran in June, which started a 12-day war.

Araghchi said on Tuesday that Tehran had agreed with Washington on "guiding principles", but US Vice President JD Vance said Tehran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington's "red lines".

On Wednesday, Araghchi held a phone call with Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In the call, Araghchi "stressed Iran's focus on drafting an initial and coherent framework to advance future talks", according to a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry.

Also on Wednesday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned that Washington would deter Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons "one way or the other".

"They've been very clear about what they would do with nuclear weapons. It's entirely unacceptable," Wright told reporters in Paris on the sidelines of meetings of the International Energy Agency.

Earlier on Wednesday, Reza Najafi, Iran's permanent representative to the IAEA in Vienna, held a joint meeting with Grossi and the ambassadors of China and Russia "to exchange views" on the upcoming session of the agency's board of governors meetings and "developments related to Iran's nuclear program", Iran's mission in Vienna said on X.

Tehran has suspended some cooperation with the IAEA and restricted the watchdog's inspectors from accessing sites bombed by Israel and the United States, accusing the UN body of bias and of failing to condemn the strikes.

- Displays of military might -

The Omani-mediated talks were aimed at averting the possibility of US military action, while Tehran is demanding the lifting of US sanctions that are crippling its economy.

Iran has insisted that the discussions be limited to the nuclear issue, though Washington has previously pushed for Tehran's ballistic missiles program and support for armed groups in the region to be on the table.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily against Iran, first over a deadly crackdown on protesters last month and then more recently over its nuclear program.

On Wednesday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog sent a message to Iranians, saying "I want to send the people of Iran best wishes for the month of Ramadan, and I truly hope and pray that this reign of terror will end and that we will see a different era in the Middle East," according to a statement from his office.

Washington has ordered two aircraft carriers to the region, with the first, the USS Abraham Lincoln with nearly 80 aircraft, positioned about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the Iranian coast as of Sunday, satellite images showed.

Iran has also sought to display its own military might, with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps beginning a series of war games on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian politicians have repeatedly threatened to block the strait, a major global conduit for oil and gas.

On Tuesday, state TV reported that Tehran would close parts of the waterway for safety measures during the drills.

Iran's supreme leader warned on Tuesday that the country had the ability to sink a US warship deployed to the region.