Trump says Tehran wants to negotiate as he weighs U.S. response to regime's crackdown on protests
CBC
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States may meet Iranian officials and was in contact with the opposition as he weighed a range of strong responses, including military options, to a violent crackdown on Iranian protests, which pose one of the biggest challenges to clerical rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"We are ready for war, but also for dialogue," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday in a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran via English translation.
The situation in Iran is "under total control" after violence linked to protests spiked over the weekend, said Araqchi.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that communications between Araqchi and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff remain open, and that contacts also remain open through traditional intermediary Switzerland.
Trump has warned Iran's leaders that the U.S. would attack if security forces open fire on protesters.
U.S.-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested.
Iran has not given an official toll and Reuters was unable to independently verify the tallies. The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday.
Despite the massive scale of the protests, there are no signs of splits in the Shia clerical leadership, military or security forces, and demonstrators have no clear central leadership. The opposition is fragmented.
Trump said on Sunday that Iran had called to negotiate its nuclear program, which Israel and the U.S. bombed in a 12-day war in June.
"Iran wants to negotiate, yes. We might meet with them. A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what is happening before the meeting, but a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate," Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
Iranian authorities accused the U.S. and Israel of fomenting trouble and called for a nationwide rally on Monday.
State TV on Monday aired live footage of large crowds attending a funeral procession for security forces killed in Shahrud and pro-government demonstrations in cities such as Kerman, Zahedan and Birjand, held “in condemnation of recent terrorist events."
Trump was to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, a U.S. official told Reuters on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal had reported that options included military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.
"The military is looking at it, and we're looking at some very strong options," Trump told reporters on Sunday night.
