Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the situation was “under total control”, accusing protesters of turning demonstrations violent to invite US intervention.
US President Trump warned of possible US action while signalling nuclear talks, as protests driven by economic collapse evolve into direct challenges to Iran’s leadership.
Iran Claims Protests Are Under Control As Death Toll Mounts
Rights groups report at least 544 deaths and more than 10,600 detentions amid an internet blackout, raising fears of a harsher crackdown.
Summary
As Iran is witnessing one of the most intense public protests in recent years, with threats of US intervention, Iran’s foreign minister on Monday said that “the situation has come under total control”.
Abbas Araghchi also stated that the protests “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for the U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
At least 544 people have been killed in nearly two weeks of protests across Iran as demonstrations continue despite an internet blackout and mass arrests, raising fears of a widening and more violent crackdown by the authorities.
More than 10,600 people have been detained since the protests began, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.
People have taken to the streets over dissatisfaction with the country’s economical situation, alleged corruption from the government. The Iranian rial sank to a record low against the US dollar on December 29.
Trump, who has claimed that the US will attack Iran if protests are curbed brutally, said that Iran called to negotiate its nuclear programme. “A meeting is being set up... They want to negotiate.”
However, Trump added that “we may have to act before a meeting.”
Furthermore, Araghchi stated that Iran is “'not seeking war but fully prepared for war”. He added that the country is ready for negotiations but “these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect.”
The demonstrations in Iran erupted late December after the Iranian rial collapsed to more than 1.4 million to the dollar, under the pressure of sanctions linked partly to Iran’s nuclear programme.
What began as economic protests has since evolved into open challenges to Iran’s clerical leadership, with crowds repeatedly returning to the streets of major cities despite arrests and violence.
With internet access cut and phone lines disrupted, it has become increasingly difficult to independently assess the scale of the unrest from outside the country.
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Rights groups and Iranians abroad fear the communications blackout has given hard-liners within the security apparatus greater latitude to intensify the crackdown.
(with inputs from AP, AFP, Al Jazeera)
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