Former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran’s leadership is seeking negotiations with Washington amid escalating nationwide protests that rights groups say have killed hundreds of people.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Iranian leaders had reached out to him to arrange talks after he warned of possible U.S. military action if protesters continued to be killed.
“The leaders of Iran called… a meeting is being set up. They want to negotiate,” Trump said, while adding that the U.S. “may have to act before a meeting.”
Iran has been gripped by widespread protests for over two weeks, initially triggered by rising living costs but now posing a serious challenge to the country’s theocratic system established after the 1979 revolution.
Despite a near-total internet shutdown, videos and eyewitness accounts continue to emerge, showing large demonstrations and alleged mass casualties.
The U.S.-based Center for Human Rights in Iran warned that a “massacre is unfolding,” citing reports that hundreds of protesters have been killed.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights confirmed at least 192 deaths but said the real toll could be far higher, possibly exceeding 2,000. More than 2,600 people have reportedly been arrested.
Tehran has been described as being in near paralysis, with shops closing early and security forces heavily deployed. While state media insists protests are declining, opposition figures dispute this.
Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s ousted shah, has called on security forces to side with protesters and says he is ready to return to Iran to lead a democratic transition.
Iran’s government has declared three days of national mourning for security personnel killed in the unrest and warned that any U.S. military intervention would be met with retaliation, including attacks on U.S. forces and shipping.
The crisis marks one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s leadership in decades, raising fears of wider regional and international consequences.
