US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (January 12) that Iran’s leadership has contacted him seeking negotiations, as the country is rocked by widespread protests and growing reports of a deadly crackdown, AFP reports. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iranian leaders had reached out directly and that a meeting was being arranged, while cautioning that the United States “may have to act before a meeting.”

Iran has been shaken for nearly two weeks by nationwide demonstrations that initially erupted over rising living costs but have since evolved into one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The protests have spread across major cities, including Tehran, despite a prolonged internet shutdown imposed by the authorities.

Human rights groups warn that the government response has turned increasingly violent. The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said it had received eyewitness accounts and credible information indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed during the ongoing blackout, describing the situation as an unfolding “massacre.”

The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights said it had verified at least 192 protester deaths but cautioned that the true toll could be far higher. According to the organization, unverified reports suggest that several hundred, and possibly more than 2,000 people, may have been killed, while more than 2,600 protesters have been arrested nationwide.

Despite restrictions on communications, videos continue to circulate from Tehran and other cities showing large nighttime gatherings. AFP geolocated footage from Kahrizak, south of the capital, showing dozens of bodies wrapped in black bags piled outside a morgue, as grieving relatives searched for missing family members.

In Tehran, daily life has been severely disrupted. An AFP journalist reported sharp price increases, widespread shop closures and an overwhelming security presence, particularly in the afternoons, as authorities attempt to contain the unrest.

State television has aired images of damaged buildings and funerals for security personnel, while officials insist the situation is stabilizing. Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian said on Sunday that the number of protests was declining. The government has declared days of national mourning for those it described as “martyrs,” including members of the security forces, and President Masoud Pezeshkian called for a pro-government march on Monday.

Tensions have also risen sharply between Tehran and Washington. In response to Trump’s remarks and warnings of possible intervention, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said US military forces and shipping in the region would be considered “legitimate targets.”

Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s ousted shah, said he was prepared to return to Iran to help lead a democratic transition. He urged members of the security forces to side with protesters and called on supporters abroad to display Iran’s pre-revolution tricolour as a sign of solidarity with demonstrators.

BOB Post