DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned Sunday that Iran proposed negotiations after his menace to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown focusing on demonstrators there, a dart coming as activists mentioned the death toll in protests rose to now now not lower than 544.
Trump and his nationwide security team had been weighing a ramification of doable responses towards Iran at the side of cyberattacks and order strikes by the U.S. or Israel, in accordance to two of us conscious of within White Dwelling discussions who weren’t licensed to comment publicly and spoke on situation of anonymity.
“The militia is having a stare upon it, and we’re having a stare upon some very solid alternate suggestions,” Trump told reporters on Air Power One on Sunday evening. Requested about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he mentioned: “If they attain that, we can hit them at phases that they’ve never been hit sooner than.”
Trump mentioned that his administration turned into in talks to issue up a gathering with Tehran, however cautioned that he would perchance like to behave first as studies of the death toll in Iran mount and the federal government continues to arrest protesters.
“I have they’re tired of being beat up by the US,” Trump mentioned. “Iran wants to barter.”
He added: “The meeting is being issue up, however we would perchance like to behave for that reason of what’s happening sooner than the meeting. But a gathering is being issue up. Iran known as, they need to barter.”
There turned into no rapid acknowledgment from Iran of the offering for a gathering. The gigantic ongoing U.S. militia deployment to the Caribbean is a element that the Pentagon and Trump’s nationwide security planners would possibly want to take phrase of. Tehran also warned that the U.S. militia and Israel would be “legit targets” if The US makes employ of power to offer protection to demonstrators. Trump meanwhile mentioned the Islamic Republic reached out and proposed negotiations.
In this frame seize from pictures circulating on social media exhibits protesters dancing and cheering spherical a bonfire as they seize to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic stays gash off from the rest of the sector, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC by strategy of AP)
In this frame seize from pictures circulating on social media exhibits protesters dancing and cheering spherical a bonfire as they seize to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic stays gash off from the rest of the sector, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC by strategy of AP)
More than 10,600 of us also had been detained over the 2 weeks of protests, mentioned the U.S.-based entirely mostly Human Rights Activists News Company, which has been sparkling in previous unrest in most as a lot as date years and gave the death toll. It depends on supporters in Iran crosschecking data. It mentioned 496 of the slow had been protesters and forty eight had been with security forces.
With the on-line down in Iran and fetch in contact with lines gash off, gauging the demonstrations from in a single other nation has grown extra complex. The Related Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has now now not provided total casualty figures.
Those in a single other nation wretchedness the data blackout is emboldening laborious-liners within Iran’s security companies to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets within the nation’s capital and its second-greatest metropolis on Saturday evening into Sunday morning. On-line movies supposed to show extra demonstrations Sunday evening into Monday, with a Tehran respectable acknowledging them in issue media.
Defiance in parliament
The menace to strike the U.S. militia and Israel came at some level of a parliamentary speech by Mohammad Baagher Qalibaf, the laborious-liner speaker of the body who has hobble for the presidency within the previous.
He straight threatened Israel, calling it “the occupied territory.”
“In the match of an assault on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American militia companies, bases and ships within the map can be our legit targets,” Qalibaf mentioned. “We attain now now not take phrase of ourselves restricted to reacting after the action and would perchance act per any goal signs of a menace.”
Lawmakers rushed the dais in parliament, shouting: “Demise to The US!”
It stays unclear how excessive Iran is about launching a strike, namely after its air defenses had been destroyed at some level of the 12-day battle in June with Israel. Any decision to dart to battle would rest with Iran’s 86-twelve months-extinct Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters whereas in flight on Air Power One to Joint Atrocious Andrews, Md., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
FILE – In this photo released by an respectable site of the space of business of the Iranian supreme chief, Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a ceremony to mark the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Place of work of the Iranian Supreme Chief by strategy of AP, File)
The U.S. militia has mentioned within the Mideast it’s “postured with forces that span the stout differ of wrestle ability to shield our forces, our partners and allies and U.S. pursuits.” Iran targeted U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Atrocious in Qatar in June, whereas the U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based entirely mostly fifth Rapid is stationed within the island kingdom of Bahrain.
Israel, meanwhile, is “staring at intently” the wretchedness between the U.S. and Iran, mentioned an Israeli respectable, who spoke on situation of anonymity due to now now not being licensed to talk to journalists. Israeli Top Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. Secretary of Insist Marco Rubio in a single day on matters at the side of Iran, the respectable added.
“The of us of Israel, your total world, are in fright of the broad heroism of the citizens of Iran,” mentioned Netanyahu, a longtime Iran hawk.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV mentioned Iran as a space “where ongoing tensions proceed to notify many lives,” at the side of that “I hope and pray that dialogue and peace would perchance very effectively be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the normal correct of the total of society.”
Demonstrations had been held in some global capitals in support of the protesters. A spokesperson mentioned United Worldwide locations Secretary-Typical Antonio Guterres turned into “timorous” by studies of violence towards protesters ensuing in “scores of deaths” and known as on Iranian authorities to make employ of most restraint and restore communications.
Protests in Tehran and Mashhad
On-line movies despatched out of Iran, doubtless the employ of Starlink satellite tv for computer transmitters, purportedly showed demonstrators gathering in northern Tehran’s Punak neighborhood. There, it looked authorities shut off streets, with protesters waving their lit cellphones. Others banged metal whereas fireworks went off.
In Mashhad, Iran’s second-greatest metropolis some 725 kilometers (450 miles) northeast of Tehran, pictures supposed to show protesters confronting security forces. Protests also regarded as if it would perchance happen in Kerman, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Tehran.
Iranian issue tv on Sunday morning had correspondents appear on the streets in a couple of cities to show aloof areas, with a date trace shown on conceal. Tehran and Mashhad weren’t included.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the nation’s financial system is squeezed by global sanctions in allotment levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls straight tough Iran’s theocracy.
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Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Power One. Related Press writers Aamer Madhani and Michelle Designate in Washington, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this document.