U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran’s leadership has reached out to negotiate as nationwide protests enter a third week, with reports of a rising death toll.
Trump said Iranian officials contacted him seeking talks after he warned of possible U.S. action if security forces continued to kill protesters. He made the remarks amid growing international concern over the handling of the unrest.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran said hundreds of protesters may have been killed during the crackdown, describing the situation as a “massacre” and urging the international community to respond to the escalating violence.
Trump acknowledges proposal for talks
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”