Watch: A Massacre in Iran - Part Two: The Hippocratic Oath
⚠️ Audience Advisory: This documentary contains extremely graphic and distressing content. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
In the days following the January massacre of protesters in Iran, many doctors, nurses, and medical staff remained true to their oath. When hospitals became unsafe and dangerous, they risked their own safety to help wounded protesters.
The second episode of A Massacre in Iran includes footage and testimonies of wounded protesters being shot at close range inside hospitals, security forces storming medical centers, and injured demonstrators receiving treatment at home out of fear of arrest.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9l6_gqELII
https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2022045555992801643
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Iranian officials are rejecting US offers to engage in negotiations over Iran's ballistic missile program amid increasing US threats. Iranian Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani told al Jazeera on February 13 that Iran's missile capability is a “firmly established” element of Iran's defense doctrine and part of its deterrence mechanism.[1] Shamkhani argued that Iran's missile capabilities are thus included within Iran's “defense red lines,” and are not open for negotiation.[2] Shamkhani added that it is “natural” for the “fundamental defense components of states” to be outside the scope of political negotiations.[3] Iran has also not offered concessions on its nuclear program that are close to the US demand of zero enrichment or even close to the restrictions placed on the program under the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iranian officials are refusing to negotiate limits to Iran's ballistic missile program because the ballistic missile program forms an integral part of Iranian defense strategy. Any changes to this strategy would require a strategic rethink that would take months, if not years. Shamkhani’s remarks indicate that Iran is differentiating between negotiable issues related to the nuclear program and non-negotiable issues related to deterrence and Iran's military capabilities, rather than signaling future flexibility on missiles after a possible nuclear deal. Iran considers its missile program as its main form of deterrence because it allows Iran to impose costs on its adversaries and compensates for Iran's weak conventional air capabilities.[4] Former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari argued in October 2025 that Iran deliberately prioritized missile and drone development over its air and ground forces to counter the superior capabilities of the United States and Israel, which underscores the reality that if Iran chose to limit its missiles, it would be agreeing to defang itself.[5]
Iran's continued refusal to negotiate over its ballistic missile program comes after US President Donald Trump warned on February 12 that Iran has roughly one month to reach a deal. [6] Trump added that the United States “ha[s] to make a deal with Iran” or it will be “very traumatic,” adding that Iran will face “a very difficult time” if the deal is not fair.[7] Trump told Fox Business on February 10 that an acceptable deal with Iran would mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles.”[8] Trump also decided to deploy the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Middle East after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 11, according to Axios.[9]
The United States smuggled 6,000 Starlink terminals into Iran during the recent protest wave in order to help protesters “circumvent internet shut-offs” and overthrow the regime, according to US officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal.[10] The regime imposed a nationwide internet shutdown on January 8, likely to inhibit protesters’ ability to coordinate gatherings and conceal the regime's brutal crackdown.[11] Starlink terminals allowed Iranian protesters to maintain internet access in order to communicate with each other and the international community. Iranian doctors used Starlink, for example, to tell The Times on January 17 that the regime‘s crackdown had killed 16,500 protesters and injured around 330,000 protesters.[12] Iranian security forces launched a massive operation on January 12, 2026, to search homes in several cities across Iran and seize Starlink terminal dishes, which indicates the degree of concern the regime has about the use of Starlink.[13]
The regime has taken extreme steps to stop protesters’ use of Starlink, including prior to this recent protest wave. Starlink enabled protesters to connect to the outside world when used during the Masha Amini protests, and protesters during the Mahsa Amini protest wave also demonstrated a significant degree of organization.[14] The Iranian parliament passed a law in late June 2025–after the Israel-Iran War–that criminalized the possession, use, and distribution of Starlink devices.[15] The regime's threats and efforts to hinder Starlink use indicate that the regime is greatly concerned with the ability of Iranians to coordinate protests and expose regime brutality, as well as the regime's desire to maintain the capability of imposing similar nationwide internet shutdowns in the future.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-february-13-2026/