Iran crisis: Trump claims leader ‘wants to negotiate’ amid protest crackdown as he mulls US military response – latest updates | Iran
important events
Iranian foreign minister claims protests are ‘completely under control’
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi He claimed the protests were now “completely under control” after violence escalated over the weekend. According to comments made by Al JazeeraInformation whose accuracy we have not yet been able to verify.
Araqchi was also quoted as saying that the protests “became violent and bloody” to create a pretext for US president Donald Trump’s intervention.
He went on to say the demonstrations – which spread to almost all provinces and dozens of cities – were “stoked and fuelled” by foreign elements and vowed that security forces will “hunt down” those responsible.
Due to the internet outage, it is difficult to get a clear picture of what is happening in Iran, and it is also difficult to get information from the field.
Opening summary
Donald Trump said he was considering “very strong” military action against Iran’s ruling regime amid a crackdown on protests that have shaken the country and caused the death toll to soar.
However, the US president also claimed on Sunday that the Iranian leader had reached out to him and offered negotiations. “A meeting is being arranged… They want to negotiate,” said Trump, adding, “We may have to take action before the meeting.”
Tehran also ordered counter-rallies in Iran in an attempt to regain the initiative; He previously warned the United States not to attack and promised to respond if it did.
At least 538 people, including 490 protesters, were killed in the violence surrounding the demonstrations, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The group reported that more than 10,600 people were arrested by Iranian authorities.
Another Norway-based human rights watchdog, the Iran Human Rights group, said Sunday it had confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but said the real death toll could already be several hundred or more. He condemned “mass murder.”
The protests, now in their second week, were initially fueled by anger over the rising cost of living and have turned into one of the biggest challenges to the rule of 86-year-old religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In other important developments:
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Despite the internet outage, protests have increased in recent days According to monitor Netblocks, this incident lasted more than 72 hours. Activists say the closure limits the flow of information.
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President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Iran’s arch-enemies of “trying to escalate this unrest” and “bringing terrorists from abroad into the country” in an interview published on state media on Sunday.
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Dozens of bodies piled up outside a morgue in southern TehranAccording to images in a video whose location was confirmed by the Agence France-Presse news agency on Sunday.
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State television broadcast footage of burning buildings, including a mosque, as well as funerals for security personnelAuthorities confirmed that members of the security forces were killed.
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Trump said Saturday he would “save” protesters if the Iranian government kills them and reiterated the threat of intervention by posting on the Truth Social platform: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM perhaps like never before. USA is ready to help!!!”
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Iranian government declares three days of national mourning for “martyrs” on Sunday State television said the killings included members of the security forces.
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Pezeshkian urged people to join a “national resistance march” of rallies across the country on Monday To condemn the violence, which the government said was committed by “urban terrorism criminals,” state television reported.
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Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed shah of Iran who lives in the USA and played an important role in the protest calls, said he was ready to return to the country. and leading the transition to a democratic government.
With staff and news agencies
