US President Donald Trump on Sunday said Iran’s leadership had reached out to him seeking negotiations, following his repeated warnings of possible US military intervention if Tehran continued killing protesters.
For two weeks, Iran has been shaken by widespread protests that began over rising living costs but have since evolved into a direct challenge to the country’s theocratic system established after the 1979 revolution. Rights groups say the government’s crackdown has escalated into what they describe as a massacre.
Despite a days-long internet shutdown, information has continued to emerge from Iran. Videos circulating from Tehran and other cities over recent nights show large demonstrations, while reports indicate a rising death toll.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iran’s leaders had contacted him. “The leaders of Iran called yesterday,” he said, adding that “a meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate.” He cautioned, however, that “we may have to act before a meeting.”
The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said it had received eyewitness accounts and credible reports suggesting that hundreds of protesters have been killed during the internet blackout. “A massacre is unfolding,” the group said.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights confirmed at least 192 deaths but warned the true number could be far higher. According to the group, unverified reports suggest several hundred, and possibly more than 2,000, people may have been killed. It also estimates that more than 2,600 protesters have been arrested.
A video circulating online showed dozens of bodies outside a morgue south of Tehran. The footage, geolocated to Kahrizak, showed bodies wrapped in black bags as grieving relatives searched for loved ones.
An AFP journalist in Tehran described a city in a state of near paralysis. Meat prices have nearly doubled since the protests began, many shops remain closed, and those that open shut early as security forces deploy across the city in large numbers.
Fewer protest videos appeared on social media on Sunday, though it was unclear whether this was due to the internet shutdown. One widely shared clip showed protesters gathering in Tehran’s Pounak district, chanting slogans in support of the ousted monarchy.
The unrest marks one of the most serious challenges to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, especially following Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June, which was backed by the United States.
State television has aired images of burning buildings, including a mosque, and funeral processions for security personnel. At the same time, officials have sought to project calm, broadcasting footage of smooth traffic and insisting protests are declining. Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian said the number of demonstrations was decreasing.
The Iranian government declared three days of national mourning for “martyrs,” including members of the security forces. President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens to join a “national resistance march” to denounce the violence.
Responding to Trump’s threats, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Iran would retaliate, describing US military forces and shipping as “legitimate targets.”
Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s former shah, said he was prepared to return to Iran to lead a democratic transition. He urged members of the security forces and government workers to side with protesters, warning against complicity in violence.
He also called on demonstrators abroad to replace Iranian embassy flags with Iran’s pre-revolution national flag, a symbol that has become prominent at global rallies supporting the protest movement. In London, protesters briefly replaced the Iranian embassy flag with the tricolour used under the last shah.