Trump says Iran sought talks as protest crackdown turns deadly

United States President Donald Trump has said Iran’s leadership reached out to him to seek negotiations amid escalating nationwide protests and mounting international concern over a deadly crackdown by security forces.

Trump made the claim on Sunday while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, saying Tehran had indicated its willingness to engage in talks after he repeatedly warned that Washington could intervene militarily if Iranian authorities continued killing protesters.

“The leaders of Iran called,” Trump said, adding that “a meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate.”
He, however, cautioned that the United States “may have to act before a meeting,” suggesting that military options remain on the table.

Iran has been gripped by widespread protests for more than two weeks, initially triggered by rising living costs but now evolving into one of the most serious challenges to the country’s theocratic system since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Despite a heavy internet shutdown, videos emerging from Tehran and other cities show sustained demonstrations and violent confrontations.

Human rights organisations say the death toll has continued to rise sharply. The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said it had received credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters were killed during the current crackdown, describing the situation as “a massacre”.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) confirmed at least 192 deaths but warned that the actual number could be far higher. According to the group, unverified reports suggest that several hundred — and possibly more than 2,000 — protesters may have been killed, while over 2,600 arrests have been recorded.

Disturbing footage circulating online on Sunday showed dozens of bodies outside a morgue in Kahrizak, south of Tehran. The video, geolocated by AFP, depicted bodies wrapped in black bags as grieving relatives searched for missing loved ones.

In Tehran, daily life has been severely disrupted. An AFP journalist described the capital as being in near paralysis, with food prices soaring, shops closing early, and heavy security deployments each evening. Although fewer protest videos appeared online on Sunday, it was unclear whether this reflected a decline in demonstrations or the impact of internet restrictions.

Iranian state media has attempted to project calm, broadcasting images of flowing traffic and quoting Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian as saying protests were decreasing. Authorities have declared three days of national mourning for security personnel killed during the unrest, while President Masoud Pezeshkian called for a “national resistance march” to denounce violence.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responded sharply to Trump’s threats, warning that US military forces and shipping would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington intervenes.

Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s last shah, has emerged as a prominent opposition voice, declaring his readiness to return to Iran and lead a democratic transition. He urged security forces and government workers to side with protesters, warning against complicity in violence.

Support for the demonstrations has spread globally, with protesters in London over the weekend replacing the Iranian embassy flag with the pre-revolution national flag — a symbol increasingly adopted by opposition supporters worldwide.