Jafar Panahi Fears Iranian People Will Be Sacrificed in US-Iran Talks

Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi warns that the Iranian people’s interests risk being ‘sacrificed’ during upcoming negotiations between Iran and the United States on February 5, 2026. Speaking to Agence France-Presse in Paris, Panahi described Iran as being ‘in shock’ following the violent suppression of recent mass protests. ‘Whatever happens in these negotiations will never serve the people’s interests. The Iranian people have no representative at the table, and their concerns are never taken into account—they can easily be sacrificed,’ he stated, referring to expected talks focused on Iran’s nuclear program. The 65-year-old director, who won the Cannes Film Festival’s Golden Palm in 2025 for his clandestinely shot film ‘A Simple Accident’—also an Oscar nominee—was among the first Iranians abroad to sign a public statement supporting domestic protests. While former U.S. President Donald Trump initially voiced support for demonstrators and even hinted at military intervention to halt the crackdown, his subsequent focus shifted toward nuclear issues and Iranian missile capabilities. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), over 50,000 arrests have occurred nationwide, with 6,872 confirmed deaths—including mostly protesters—and 11,280 additional fatalities under verification; some media reports cite up to 36,000 dead. ‘This number is beyond imagination. It proves the regime has reached a point where it knows it no longer holds legitimacy—it lost that long ago, and this massacre confirms it once and for all,’ Panahi said. He added that speaking freely by phone with family members—including his son—still in Iran remains impossible: ‘They are safe, but all are in shock—a grief that has engulfed the entire country.’