President Donald Trump says Iran has contacted the United States to propose talks as his administration weighs responses — including military options — amid reports from rights groups that hundreds of people have been killed across the country amid mass protests against the regime.
“We may have to act before a meeting. … A meeting is being set up,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, declining to elaborate on the options under consideration.
Trump said he believed Iran was taking U.S. threats seriously. “They’ve been going through it for years with me,” he said in response to a question, noting the U.S. strike that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Trump’s first term and the recent U.S. operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said it had received eyewitness accounts and credible reports that hundreds of protesters have been killed since Thursday night, while another U.S.-based group, Human Rights Activists News Agency, estimates 490 protesters have been killed since the demonstrations began on Dec. 28.
Iranian authorities, who have shut down internet access, are struggling to contain some of the largest protests since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979. Protests that erupted over economic grievances have evolved into calls for regime change, and demonstrations have grown increasingly violent.
According to a senior Western official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, Iranian authorities initially appeared reluctant to use lethal force but changed course once the protests threatened the regime.
Trump told reporters he is getting hourly reports on the crackdown on protests. “We’re looking at it very seriously. The military’s looking at it. And we’re looking at some very strong options,” he added.
Iranians have endured years of soaring inflation, weak economic growth and international isolation, driven by mismanagement, corruption and sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The situation worsened late last year as the Iranian currency fell to record lows, sparking initial protests by shop owners in Tehran in late December and later spreading among students, workers and others across the country.
Susannah George contributed to this report.
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