Newshour

Indirect talks between the US and Iran took place in Oman as the US seeks to curb Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. The talks were mainly procedural: was anything achieved? We hear from Iran nuclear expert Professor Sina Azodi, Director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Washington University.

Also in the programme: a deadly suicide attack on a Shia mosque in the Pakistani capital Islamabad; the EU orders TikTok to redesign its 'addictive' features; and the opening of the 25th Winter Olympics in northern Italy.

(Photo: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visits Oman ahead of Iran-US talks. Credit: OMANI MINISTRY OF INFORMATION/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

President Trump is seeking to curb Tehran's nuclear and missile programme; he has threatened to use military force if Tehran doesn't make big concessions.

Also in the programme: Venezuela's parliament takes the next step towards an amnesty for political prisoners; and how babies can anticipate rhythmic surprises in music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

(Photo: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is welcomed by an Omani official upon his arrival in Muscat, Oman, on February 6, 2026. Credit: Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA via REUTERS)

The agreement would re-establish high level dialogue for the first time since President Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Also in the programme: cuts at the Washington Post; a rare Michelangelo is auctioned in New York; BBC Persian creates a 'face wall' of those who have died in the Iran protests; and the director of the multi-Oscar nominated Sentimental Value - Joachim Trier - talks to us about his new family drama.

(Photo: Members of the U.S. delegation attend the second round of trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 4, 2026.UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handout via Reuters)

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has apologised to the victims of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying he is 'sorry for having believed' his former US ambassador Peter Mandelson. Emails released in the US suggest Mandelson forwarded market-sensitive information to Epstein. The prime minister accused Mandelson of lying during the vetting process, saying he gave the impression he 'barely knew' the disgraced financier.

Also in the programme: The second day of peace talks over the Russia-Ukraine war conclude with no sign of agreement; and a sketch of a lion by the Dutch grand master Rembrandt has sold at auction for $18 million.

(Picture: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking during a visit to East Sussex. Credit: Peter Nicholls/PA Wire)

Ukrainian representatives at the talks with Russia on a possible end of the war have described the first day of negotiations as "substantive and productive". Newshour hears from injured Ukrainian soldiers and gauges public opinion inside the country.

Also in the programme: the New START nuclear treaty expires; and iguanas on the menu in Miami.

(Picture: An elderly woman pulls a sled with her belongings during the distribution of humanitarian aid brought by volunteers to a church amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, near the town of Popasna (Popasnaya) in the Luhansk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, February 4, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Ukraine and Russia are due to hold two more days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which have been co-ordinated by the United States. Also on the programme, the war surgeon recently returned from Myanmar's civil war; and, the 66-year old man who fought off a shark.

(Photo: World Central Kitchen staff hand out free soup in a neighbourhood that experiences electricity and heating outages following recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure during subzero temperatures in Kyiv, Ukraine February 3, 2026. REUTERS/Thomas Peter)

After trading insults on social media, President Trump and Colombia's President Petro meet for the first time today, at the White House in Washington. We also report from Colombia, where our correspondent has been out with the anti-narcotics police, known as the Jungle Commandos.

Also in the programme: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of Libya's former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is reported to have been killed at his home in Zintan - we hear from a journalist who met him; as Sudan's army claims to have re-taken another besieged city, Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council describes a “forgotten horrific conflict” and a “starvation crisis beyond belief”; plus the Australian scientist who helped invent the cochlear implant which now allows hundreds of thousands to hear – and who has just won a prize for his lifetime’s work.

(IMAGE: U.S. President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro meet at the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2026 / CREDIT: Colombia Presidency/Handout via REUTERS)

We hear from a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, Sidney Blumenthal and also from one of the survivors of sexual assault by Jeffrey Epstein, Lisa Phillips who was a young model at the time.

The Rafah crossing reopens between Gaza and Egypt. Are enough Palestinians in urgent need of medical treatment able to use it? We hear from the family of one injured boy.

Also on the programme: the detention of a five-year-old in an immigration raid in Minnesota enrages a judge; and why seeing the iconic Trevi Fountain in Rome is now going to cost you.

(Photo: A Palestinian patient, accompanied by relatives, waits to leave Gaza for treatment abroad through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Credit: Reuters)

It will come as a relief to many Palestinians who see it as a lifeline to the world, although there is frustration that only small numbers of people and no goods will be allowed through. Israeli reports say only 50 patients - accompanied by one or two relatives - will be allowed to exit each day. We hear from two women, one who wants to leave Gaza and one who wants to return.

Also on the programme: damaging new revelations about the links between a former British government minister and the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and the dress rehearsal for the forthcoming mission to the moon.

(Photo: Palestinian patients prepare to travel for medical treatment to Egypt Credit: Haitham Imad/EPA/Shutterstock)