Donald Trump is “unafraid” to use military options against Iran as hundreds of protesters are killed in a brutal crackdown, with fears growing of a major escalation between the US and Tehran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that airstrikes are among the "many, many options" that the president is considering but that "diplomacy is always the first option for the president."
Monitoring human rights groups say at least 648 protesters have have been killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
"We are ready for war but also for dialogue," Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded.
He said that warnings of military action against Tehran from Mr Trump, if the protests turned bloody, would motivate “terrorists” to target protesters and security forces to provoke foreign intervention.
Mr Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyber-attacks and direct strikes by the US or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions.
But the US president also said Tehran had been in touch and "they want to negotiate" to prevent such action.
Key Points
- Tehran says it is 'ready for war' with US but protests 'under total control'
- Trump says US are looking at 'very strong options' for military action in Iran
- Trump announces 25% tariff on countries doing business with Iran
- Internet to be restored, says Tehran says without giving time frame
- Fashion student, 23, shot dead in back of the head in Iran protests
- Deaths from Iran protests reach more than 500, rights group says
Trump says Iran's trade partners to face 25 per cent tariffs from the US
04:00 , Namita SinghPresident Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran's trade partners will face 25 per cent tariffs from the United States as he looks to pressure Tehran over its violent protest crackdown that's left at least 646 dead across the country.
The US president has repeatedly threatened Tehran with US military action, if his administration found the Islamic Republic was using deadly force against anti-government protesters.
It's a redline that Trump says he believes Iran is "starting to cross" and has left him and his national security team weighing "very strong options.
"Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be "effective immediately."
China, Brazil, Turkey and Russia are among economies that do business with Tehran.
Two arrested at protest outside Iran's embassy in New Zealand
03:40 , Namita SinghIn New Zealand, two people were arrested on Tuesday during a protest outside the Iranian embassy in Wellington, authorities said.
About 20 people protested outside the embassy, while police officers monitored the situation, the police said in a statement. Officers were considering willful damage charges against the pair arrested.
"Police recognise the lawful right to protest, and maintained a presence to ensure the safety of all involved," a statement said.
Radio New Zealand reported that a man climbed onto a fence at the embassy to erect a pre-1979 Iranian flag, before it was removed by someone from inside the embassy.
Meanwhile, foreign ministry officials in Wellington have reminded New Zealanders of advice that they shouldn't travel to Iran and should leave immediately if they are there. The advisory has been in place since November 2024.
Activists say death toll has reached at least 646
03:20 , Namita SinghActivists said the death toll from the ongoing protests in Iran has reached at least 646.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years, gave the latest death toll early on Tuesday.
It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information.
It said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were members of the security forces.
More than 10,700 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the agency.
Iran in paralysis as internet blackout freezes banks and daily life
03:00 , Holly EvansAs the nationwide internet shutdown in Iran enters its fifth day, reports from inside the country indicate that protests are ongoing and expanding, while security forces have stepped up their crackdown. Daily life, communications and economic activity have been severely disrupted.
NetBlocks, the global internet-monitoring organisation, said on Saturday morning that Iran remains completely disconnected from the global internet network, leaving millions of people unable to access information, contact family and relatives, or to check in on the safety of loved ones.
Local sources report that alongside the “international internet” shutdown in which access to the global internet network is cut off, severe restrictions have also been imposed on mobile networks. In some areas, even the so-called “national internet” has gone offline which allows users access to approved local and official sites and apps.
Read the full article here:
Iran in paralysis as internet blackout freezes banks and daily life
Iranian fashion student, 23, ‘shot dead in back of the head’ during protests
02:00 , Holly EvansA 23-year-old student was shot dead at close range after joining mass anti-government protests in Iran, according to a human rights group, as the regime continues its crackdown on demonstrations.
According to the Iran Human Rights group, Rubina Aminian, 23, was killed on 8 January after leaving Shariati College in Tehran, the nation’s capital, and joining protest gatherings.
Sources close to her family told Norway-based Iran Human Rights that Aminian, who was a student of textile and fashion design, was shot from behind at close range, with the bullet striking her head.
Read the full article here:
Iranian student, 23, shot dead during protests and buried by the roadside
Zelensky calls on the world to help Iranians to enforce change
01:00 , Holly EvansUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that the world had to help Iranians build on protests to engineer change to free them from rule that brought evil to their own and other countries, including Ukraine.
Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, described the nationwide protests gripping Iran as an "uprising".
He said the unrest showed that Russia had to rethink its close links with Iran, which have included its wide use of Iranian-made "Shahed" drones in the nearly four-year-old war against Kyiv.
"Every normal person on Earth very much wants the people of Iran to finally be fortunate enough to free themselves from the regime that exists there and that has brought so much evil, including to Ukraine and to other countries," Zelensky said.
"It is important that the world not miss this moment, when change is possible. Every leader, every country, international organisations must engage now and help people remove those who are responsible for Iran unfortunately being what it has been."
If Iran falls, the United Nations will be first to feel the shockwaves
00:01 , Holly EvansThe grisly images of morgues overflowing with corpses smuggled out of Iran are so shocking, they have silenced the usual apologists for the Islamic Republic.
As Donald Trump mulls some sort of military action to punish Iran’s hardliners for their crackdown, and Nato allies join in the condemnation of the ayatollahs’ brutal regime, it is easy to think that Tehran is isolated.
Sadly, official Western denunciations of repression in Iran are not shared worldwide.
The “usual suspects” – Russia and China – would reap geopolitical benefits from Iran continuing to be a pariah state. Tehran has to sell its oil at a discount to China, and provides up to a quarter of its needs, more important than ever after the Venezuelan crisis. For Putin, a repressive Iran also keeps an energy-rich authoritarian state like Kazakhstan hemmed in and without access to world markets.
Read the analysis from Mark Almond here:
If Iran falls, the United Nations will be first to feel the shockwaves
U.S. citizens told to leave Iran 'immediately'
Monday 12 January 2026 23:55 , Holly EvansThe U.S. have instructed their citizens to leave Iran immediately, as tensions escalate between the two countries after two weeks of unrest has seen over 600 protesters killed by Iranian regime.
In an update on their website, the U.S. Department of State says: “Do not travel to Iran for any reason. U.S. citizens in Iran should leave immediately. There is no U.S. Embassy in Iran.
“U.S. citizens in Iran face serious dangers including terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest, and wrongful detention. Some U.S. nationals have been held for years on false charges, subjected to torture, and even sentenced to death.
Trump announces 25% tariff on countries doing business with Iran
Monday 12 January 2026 23:52 , Holly EvansDonald Trump has announced that any countries doing business with Iran will now have to pay a tariff of 25 per cent on all business they have ongoing with the US.
In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Security services ‘alive’ to increased threat to Iran exiles in UK amid unrest
Monday 12 January 2026 23:29 , Holly EvansBritain’s security services are “alive” to the increased threat posed to Iranian dissidents in the UK amid the current protests against the Tehran regime, a foreign minister has said.
Warning the Government “won’t stand for it”, Baroness Chapman of Darlington said whatever measures necessary would be taken to keep people safe.
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands detained in the uprising against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule.
Protests in Iran began on December 28 over the ailing economy and have transformed into the most significant challenge to the regime for several years.
The internet and telephone lines have been cut off, but footage of events in Tehran and other cities has made it to social media.
Speaking during an urgent question in the Lords on the current unrest, Tory former foreign minister Lord Swire pointed out the security services had prevented more than 20 assassination attempts against Iranian exiles on British soil.
He said: “This situation is not going to die down. Both sides are going to become, I suspect, more entrenched, and if the regime is trying to hold on, is likely to become more violent towards those who are opposing it.
“With that in mind, what can the minister say to reassure those brave Iranians living in the United Kingdom that everything will be done to protect them from agents of a foreign power who may seek to carry out atrocities against them on British soil?”
Responding, Lady Chapman said: “This is such an important point. As he reminds us, our security services have done amazing things in preventing so many attempts at attacks on this country.
“We will not stand for it. We will take whatever measures necessary to keep everybody in this country safe.
“He is talking in particular about those who have drawn the attention of the Iranian regime, and we will continue to do that.
“Our security services are alive to the increased threat that they face at present.”
Why I think the Islamic Republic cannot survive this uprising
Monday 12 January 2026 23:00 , Holly Evans“Knife-wielding thugs”, “weeds that must be uprooted, cut down and thrown away”, these were some of the words Ali Khamenei used on 10 June 1992. One might think he was referring to organised criminal gangs. He was not. He was describing the people of Mashhad, who had taken to the streets after security forces killed a high-school student in the city’s Kuy-e Tollab neighbourhood.
Thirty-four years later, in Mashhad – the birthplace of the supreme leader – protesters have once again filled the streets, capturing the world’s attention. From the White House, the US president is now speaking of the city slipping into the hands of popular forces. The ideological and religious heart of the Islamic Republic, the symbolic city bound to Khamenei’s own life story, has become the scene of the largest uprising ever directed against “the very foundation of the Islamic Republic”.
Read the full analysis here:
Why I think the Islamic Republic cannot survive this uprising
Republican senator says future of Iran’s leader is ‘limited’ as Trump leans towards action
Monday 12 January 2026 22:05 , Holly EvansConversations on Capitol Hill are shifting rapidly towards Iran following a flurry of statements from the White House indicating that the president is considering military action aimed at destabilizing the Iranian government or protecting demonstrators who have come under attack by government security forces.
The White House confirmed Monday that the president was considering airstrikes within Iran’s borders, an act that would mark a largely unprecedented step for the American government but would not be outside the realm of possibility for Donald Trump, who last year directed strikes to disable Iran’s nuclear weapons development program.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters that air strikes remained on the table but stopped short of saying that the president would consider deploying U.S. forces on the ground to protect protesters, a notable distinction given that Trump has signaled his own openness to deploying forces in such a manner inside Venezuela.
Read the full article here:
Republican senator says future of Iran’s leader is ‘limited’
Airstrikes among 'many options' for Trump but 'diplomacy' is first option
Monday 12 January 2026 21:35 , Holly EvansWhite House says airstrikes are among options for Iran but diplomacy is first choice.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has told reporters that airstrikes are among the "many, many options" that President Donald Trump is considering but that "diplomacy is always the first option for the president."Trump on Sunday said Iranian officials have reached out for talks. He has threatened to take military action against the Islamic Republic for its crackdown on the protests.
"What you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages," Leavitt said.
"However, with that said, the president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran."
The U.S. last year bombed Iranian nuclear sites when it inserted itself into the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
White House considers Iran's last-minute nuclear offer
Monday 12 January 2026 21:20 , Holly EvansDonald Trump is reportedly considering a last-ditch Iranian offer to engage in diplomacy over curbing it’s nuclear programme, as the U.S. presidents leans towards authorising military strikes, officials have said.
The Wall Street Journal reports that senior administration aides, including vice president JD Vance are urging the president to try diplomacy before retaliating against Iran, where hundreds of protesters have been killed in a brutal crackdown by the regime.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump said a “meeting is being set up” after Tehran contacted the White House to say they were willing to enter negotiations.
Iran's diplomatic staff banned from European parliament
Monday 12 January 2026 21:00 , Daniel KeaneEuropean Parliament President Roberta Metsola has banned all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.
She wrote on X: “It cannot be business as usual.
“As the brave people of Iran continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty, today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.
“This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder.”
It cannot be business as usual.
— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) January 12, 2026
As the brave people of Iran continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty, today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.…
Labour anger over Starmer's refusal to proscribe IRGC
Monday 12 January 2026 20:00 , David MaddoxLabour MPs have hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s government over its refusal to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror organisation in the wake of the bloodbath unfolding on the streets of Iran.
In 2023, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper – then the shadow home secretary – announced a Labour policy to proscribe the IRGC as criticism mounted over then Tory government’s refusal to do so.
But in an apparent U-turn, business secretary Peter Kyle insisted that the UK government has "already used the sanctions against Iran to the full extent we can” and would not be proscribing the IRGC.
In the wake of the senior minister’s interview, two Labour backbenchers – Hemel Hempstead MP David Taylor and Leeds South West and Morley MP Mark Sewards – broke ranks to demand that the IRGC is proscribed as the world reacts with shock to the rising death toll in Tehran and other Iranian cities.
Mr Taylor said: “To watch the IRGC respond by gunning down peaceful protestors is a dark and despicable crime, one which is all too familiar to the Middle East. From Syria to Yemen to Ukraine, the malign role of Tehran in sowing destruction is beyond any doubt.
“We also know the threat the IRGC poses on our streets, from assassination plots to threatening journalists. The government must urgently bring forward the legislation proposed by Jonathan Hall KC to tackle this state-threat and fulfil our manifesto commitment.”
Mr Sewards, the chair of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), added: “The government must act to proscribe the IRGC by bringing forward without delay the legislative proposals outlined by Jonathan Hall KC to combat state threats."
Comment: If Iran falls, the United Nations will be first to feel the shockwaves
Monday 12 January 2026 19:00 , Daniel KeaneAs the Islamic Republic teeters, the various pariah states with which it does nefarious business will soon be asking themselves a difficult question, writes Mark Almond – whose side are we on now?
If Iran falls, the United Nations will be first to feel the shockwaves
Turkey claims foreign intervention in Iran will lead to regional crisis
Monday 12 January 2026 18:30 , Daniel KeaneTurkey has warned that foreign intervention in Iran will lead to a “crisis” for the wider region, in an apparent message to Donald Trump not to launch strikes against the country.
Ankara called for U.S. and Iranian negotiations to resolve existing problems.
Iran is facing its biggest demonstrations since 2022 and Trump has threatened to get involved if force is used against protesters. Human rights organisations say hundreds of protesters are likely to have been killed.
NATO member Turkey does not wish to see chaos in Iran despite "certain problems within Iranian society and government", Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey's ruling Party, said.
"As Iranian President (Masoud) Pezeshkian has stated, these problems must be resolved through the internal dynamics of Iranian society and the national will of Iran," Celik told a press conference after a meeting of the ruling party.
"We believe that foreign intervention will lead to even worse consequences, and that intervention provoked by Israel in particular will lead to even greater crises."
Yvette Cooper calls on Iran to 'immediately end' violence against protesters
Monday 12 January 2026 18:00 , Holly EvansYvette Cooper told her Iranian counterpart on Monday that his government must immediately end the violence against protesters in the country.
"The killing & brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific," the foreign secretary said on social media platform X.
"I have spoken to (Iranian) Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe."
The killing & brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific.
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) January 12, 2026
I have spoken to Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.
Watch: Shocking Iranian video footage shows bodies strewn outside morgue after vicious crackdown
Monday 12 January 2026 17:45 , Daniel KeaneCould Iran retaliate against US military bases?
Monday 12 January 2026 17:15 , Daniel KeaneIran has threatened retaliatory attacks against Israel and US military centres in the Middle East after tensions escalated amid widespread demonstrations against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several US military bases lie within reach of Iran’s short-range weapons, according to estimates by the CSIS Missile Defence Project in the New York Times.
These include bases and military sites in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — all of which may be at risk of Iranian retaliation with short-range weapons.
In the wider region, the US operates a broad network of sites across at least 19 locations, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Here are the bases below.
Bulletin | Iran ‘ready for war’ in response to Trump’s threat of military action
Monday 12 January 2026 16:44 , Alex CroftIran has threatened it is 'ready for war' following Donald Trump's warning of military action over the ongoing crackdown on anti-government protests.
Read all you need to know in just five bullet points with The Independent’s Bulletin:
Iran ‘ready for war’ in response to Trump’s threat of military action
In pictures: Iranian protesters light bonfires in late night protests
Monday 12 January 2026 16:15 , Alex Croft
Turkey warns against foreign intervention in Iran
Monday 12 January 2026 15:48 , Alex CroftTurkey has said that any foreign intervention Iran would lead to greater crises in the country and the region, as it called for a resolution between Washington and Tehran.
Nato member Turkey does not wish to see chaos in Iran despite "certain problems within Iranian society and government", Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey's ruling AK Party, said.
"As Iranian president [Masoud] Pezeshkian has stated, these problems must be resolved through the internal dynamics of Iranian society and the national will of Iran," Celik told a press conference after a meeting of the ruling party.
"We believe that foreign intervention will lead to even worse consequences, and that intervention provoked by Israel in particular will lead to even greater crises."
Iranian representatives banned from European Parliament, says president
Monday 12 January 2026 15:26 , Alex CroftEuropean Parliament president Roberta Metsola has banned all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises, she said on social media X on Monday.
“It cannot be business as usual,” she wrote.
“As the brave people of Iran continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty, today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.
“This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder,” the post added.
Trump to speak with Musk about restoring internet access to Iran
Monday 12 January 2026 14:42 , Alex CroftDonald Trump has said that he plans to speak with Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities blacked out service amid ongoing anti-government protests.
"He's very good at that kind of thing, he's got a very good company," Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk's SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.
Musk and Trump have held an on-again, off-again relationship after the billionaire helped fund Trump's winning presidential campaign and subsequently orchestrated massive cuts to the federal government.
Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Independent view: Regime change in Iran would be welcome
Monday 12 January 2026 14:40 , Alex CroftEditorial: Iran’s unremittingly harsh leadership faces one of the most serious challenges to its theocratic rule since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979.
After weeks of nationwide protests, the ayatollahs’ spell could soon be broken – which is how counter-revolutions begin, and governments fall
Read the full article: Regime change in Iran would be welcome
Bombing Iran will help regime as Trump considers strikes, says Republican senator
Monday 12 January 2026 14:19 , Alex CroftA Republican US senator who has frequently broken rank with the president has warned Donald Trump against invading or launching strikes in Iran.
Sen. Rand Paul told ABC that while the protests, which are now nearing a third week, are a sign that many Iranians are tired to living under the current regime, there isn’t enough evidence that they were calling for or wanted U.S. intervention of any kind.
"I don't think it's the job of the American government to be involved with every freedom movement around the world," Paul told ABC’s Martha Raddatz.
"I think the protests are directed at the Ayatollah, justifiably so, and the best way is to encourage them and say that, of course, we would recognize a government that is a freedom-loving government that allows free elections. But bombing is not the answer.”
“[W]hen you bomb a country, then people tend to rally around their own flag,” Paul said. “They tend to see this as the — you know, a foreign country coming in and bombing us. And so, I don't think it always has that [intended] effect.”
Analysis: Iran’s regime is facing its gravest existential threat: here’s why - and what happens next
Monday 12 January 2026 14:00 , Alex CroftAfter a disastrous 12-day war with Israel last year and diminished support from its allies, Iran’s leaders have resorted to brutal violence to crush a mass uprising which is only going to get more bloody, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew:
Iran’s regime is facing its gravest threat: here’s why – and what happens next
What has the Iranian regime said about the protests?
Monday 12 January 2026 13:37 , Alex CroftIranian authorities accused the US and Israel of fomenting trouble and called for a nationwide rally on Monday to condemn "terrorist actions led by the United States and Israel," state media reported.
State TV aired live footage on Monday 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”.
Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the situation in Iran was "under total control" after violence linked to protests spiked over the weekend. He said Trump's warning against Tehran of action if protests turned bloody had motivated what he called terrorists to target protesters and security forces in order to invite foreign intervention.
The protests began in response to soaring prices, before turning against the clerical rulers who have governed for more than 45 years.
EU warns may impose fresh and severe sanctions on Iran
Monday 12 January 2026 13:15 , Alex CroftThe EU has warned that it could take action against Iran as the death toll of protesters across the country grows.
The bloc is prepared to propose a package of new and severe sanctions on Tehran if it does not halt its repressive measures, a spokesperson for the EU commission said on Monday morning.
Trump says US mulling 'some very strong options' on Iran as protest death toll rises - ICYMI
Monday 12 January 2026 12:54 , Alex CroftHow could Iran retaliate against Trump? Fears attack on US military bases could spark war in Middle East
Monday 12 January 2026 12:33 , Alex CroftIran has threatened retaliatory attacks against Israel and US military centres in the region after tensions escalated amid widespread demonstrations against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
President Donald Trump has been unequivocal about his intention to use military action to intervene in Iran if protesters are killed. But despite his threats, monitoring groups say that hundreds have died since Thursday, with over 10,000 people arrested.
The American leader is to discuss the options for US intervention on Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal . He is said to be considering “very strong options”, which may include cyber-attacks and direct strikes by the US or Israel or tightening sanctions, sources said.
“We are ready for war but also for dialogue,” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday.
Read more here:
How could Iran retaliate against Trump? Fears grow of attack on US military bases
A timeline of Iran's growing protest movement
Monday 12 January 2026 12:12 , Alex Croft28 December: Protests break out in two major markets in downtown Tehran, after the Iranian rial plunged to a new record low.
29 December: The central bank head resigns as the protests spread and police fire tear gas at protesters.
30 December: President Masoud Pezeshkian vows to work with business leaders to hear their demands as university campuses join protests.
31 December: Protests in Fasa allegedly turn violent after crowds break into the governor’s office.
1 January: The protests' first fatalities are officially reported, with authorities saying at least seven people have been killed.
2 January: Trump threatens Iran if it kills peaceful protesters.
3 January: Khamenei greenlights security forces in crackdown. Protests reach 170 locations with 15 dead.
8 January: The government blocks the internet after Reza Pahlavi calls on citizens to act.
9 January: Iran ramps up threats of punishment with 65 reported killed and 2,300 detained.
11 January: Iran’s parliament speaker threatens to strike US military bases in the region if Trump attacks, as rights groups say 538 people have now been killed. HRANA reports arrests have surpassed 10,000.
Recap: Trump says Iran wants to negotiate
Monday 12 January 2026 12:07 , Alex CroftUS president Donald Trump said Iran reached out to the US and proposed negotiations after he threatened action over a crackdown on protesters.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as the death toll in Iran mounts and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they're tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. He added: “Iran wants to negotiate.”
US showing lack of seriousness in conversations, says Tehran
Monday 12 January 2026 11:22 , Alex CroftEarlier, we reported that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the US and Iran were willing to hold talks after Donald Trump threatened military action against Tehran.
We can now bring you more from the Iranian foreign ministry, which says Trump envoy Steve Witkoff has an open channel of communication with Tehran - but that Washington has demonstrated a lack of seriousness.
"The communication channel between our foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and the US special envoy [Steve Witkoff] is open and messages are exchanged whenever necessary," foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
Contacts also remain open through traditional intermediary Switzerland, he said.
"They [the US] touched upon some cases, ideas were brought up and in general... the Islamic Republic is a country that never left the negotiating table".
But he added that "contradictory messages" from the US showed a lack of seriousness and were not convincing.
Araqchi reiterated in a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran that the Islamic Republic was ready for war but also open to dialogue.
Labour minister refuses to comment on Trump's threat to strike Iran: 'We do not comment on hypotheticals'
Monday 12 January 2026 11:03 , Alex CroftFashion student, 23, shot dead in back of the head in Iran protests
Monday 12 January 2026 10:44 , Alex CroftA 23-year-old student was shot dead at close range after joining mass anti-government protests in Iran, according to a human rights group, as the regime continues its crackdown on demonstrations.
According to the Iran Human Rights group, Rubina Aminian, 23, was killed on 8 January after leaving Shariati College in Tehran, the nation’s capital, and joining protest gatherings.
Sources close to her family told Norway-based Iran Human Rights that Ms Aminian, who was a student of textile and fashion design, was shot from behind at close range, with the bullet striking her head.
Dan Haygarth reports:
Iranian student, 23, shot dead during protests and buried by the roadside
Shocking Iranian video footage shows bodies strewn outside morgue after vicious crackdown
Monday 12 January 2026 10:25 , Alex CroftShocking footage shared from Iran appears to show scores of bodies in black bags strewn across a forensic facility in the capital, Tehran.
It comes as rights groups warn that well over 500 people have been killed in a bloody government crackdown after two weeks of nationwide protests calling for regime change.
Five separate clips shared by activists online show bodies, some bloodied and just in their underwear, littering the compound of the facility, where identification and death certificates are reportedly being issued.
Mourners are seen sobbing uncontrollably, some collapsing on the ground, as they move between the dead who are laid out inside several warehouses and even along an internal road in Tehran.
Two Iranian activist accounts, which have become credible sources of images smuggled out of the country, named the location as the Kahrizak forensic laboratory. They separately wrote that the regime had summoned civilians there to identify their dead.
With a nationwide international blackout in place, The Independent was unable to verify the footage, but matched parts of the buildings in the videos to satellite imagery of the sprawling facility, which is located just 20 km south of the city centre.
Read the full report by our chief international correspondent Bel Trew here.
In pictures: 'Free Iran' rallies take place around the world
Monday 12 January 2026 10:05 , Alex Croft
Merz: Iran crackdown is sign of weakness for regime
Monday 12 January 2026 10:02 , Alex CroftGerman chancellor Friedrich Merz has said the violence must end in Iran.
He described the Iranian crack down on protesters as a sign of weakness in the regime, now strength.
Tehran says communication lines with Washington are open
Monday 12 January 2026 09:21 , Alex CroftCommunication lines between Tehran and Washington remain open, such as through a US special envoy or traditional intermediaries such as Switzerland, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
He was responding, via an English translation, to a question about contact with U.S. President Donald Trump as Tehran faces protests.
Trump said on Sunday that Iran had called to negotiate its nuclear programme. Baghaei said that "contradictory messages" had been sent that caused ambiguity and that Iran remained committed to diplomacy.
Comment | Why I think the Islamic Republic cannot survive this uprising
Monday 12 January 2026 09:03 , Alex CroftThis article, written by Mojtaba Dehghani, first appeared on our partner site, Independent Persian.
Over more than three decades of rule, Khamenei has faced repeated waves of unrests, protests and social and political movements: the Mashhad riots of 1992, the Islamshahr and Shiraz protests that followed, the student movement of 1999, the Green Movement of 2009, the December 2017 protests, the November 2019 uprising and finally the Mahsa movement of 2022.
Each time, the regime survived, at the cost of mass repression, killings and immense political and economic damage. That history may have led Khamenei and the small circle around him to believe that this latest wave of protests can also be crushed using the same old methods: violent suppression, attrition, cutting communications and dividing the opposition.
But what is unfolding today is fundamentally and strategically different.
Read more here:
Why I think the Islamic Republic cannot survive this uprising
UK will not ban IRGC, government minister suggests
Monday 12 January 2026 08:42 , Alex CroftA government minister has suggested the government would not pursue a ban on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but refused to say whether the UK would support US intervention in Iran.
Business secretary Peter Kyle cited an independent review which he said found proscription for a foreign state organisation would not be an “appropriate” use of domestic legislation.
He told Times Radio: “When you look at domestic terror legislation, the way that we proscribe domestic organisations is using domestic legislation.
“The independent reviewer has said that that isn’t appropriate used for state bodies, but we are looking very closely at these issues.”
However, when asked by Sky News whether the government would support the US if it decided to strike on Iran, he said: “Well there’s a lot of ifs in the question itself, so we have to see how this unfolds. We need to understand specifically what Donald Trump and America is proposing.”
Online footage appears to show dozens of body bags in Tehran
Monday 12 January 2026 08:19 , Alex CroftOur chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
On Sunday, several Iranian Telegram pages and social media groups linked to the activist community, shared multiple clips filmed from different angles, apparently showing dozens, if not hundreds, of bodies in body bags laid out on the floor of a forensic facility in a southern area of Tehran. The Independent was unable to independently verify these.
In one series of clips shared by Sarah Ramani, an Iranian activist based out outside of the country, women can be heard screaming and crying, some collapsing in grief, while others move between bodies littering the ground inside and outside a warehouse, looking for their loved ones. The footage was allegedly filmed by someone on Thursday, who has since managed to leave Iran. A different video shared by “Vahid Online” the pseudonym of a popular Iranian blogger, also out of the country, appear to show similar scenes from the same facility.
Iranian state TV has also aired footage of dozens of body bags on the ground of Tehran’s coroner’s office, although it claims the dead were victims of “armed terrorists”.
Other video footage The Independent has seen includes the sound of continuous gunfire. Eyewitness accounts shared with activists’ Twitter accounts via Starlink describe widespread slaughter.
One person, reportedly speaking from the Narmak neighbourhood in the north-east of the capital, said the regime opened fire into crowds.
“I saw all the streets covered in bloodstains. They were washing the blood of this country’s children off the asphalt with high-pressure water after massacring them. There were bloodstains on all the city streets,” the unnamed person said.
Another added that mobile and landline calls are not working and that the regime is sending texts warning citizens not to leave their homes because “armed terrorists are out”. Shops are empty and food is running out.
Beijing opposes potential US strikes in Iran, says Foreign Ministry
Monday 12 January 2026 08:08 , Alex CroftThe Chinese Foreign Ministry has held a press conference in which it discussed the ongoing situation in Iran - specifically Donald Trump’s threats to strike the country.
"We have always opposed interference in other countries' internal affairs and consistently advocated that the sovereignty and security of all nations should be fully protected by international law," spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing.
Beijing has a deep and enduring relationship with Iran, both economically and in its political alignment against the West.
Tehran says it is 'ready for war' with US but protests 'under total control'
Monday 12 January 2026 07:39 , Alex CroftWe’re hearing more from Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who has said the situation in Iran is “under total control” after the protests over the weekend.
Araghchi said Donald Trump's warning against Tehran of action - should protests turn bloody - motivated "terrorists" to target protesters and security forces in order to invite foreign intervention.
"We are ready for war but also for dialogue,", Araghchi said, referring to Trump’s threats. He added that Iran wants to hold talks with the USs, after Trump said on Sunday that Tehran “wants to negotiate”.
Breaking: Internet to be restored, says Iranian foreign minister
Monday 12 January 2026 07:34 , Alex CroftIran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has just said that internet service will be restored in Iran, in coordination with security authorities.
It is not yet clear what the time frame on this restoration will be, but by restoring the internet, a much clearer picture of what has taken place in the past week is likely to emerge.
Stay with us throughout the day for all the latest.
Donald Trump says Iran wants to talk
Monday 12 January 2026 07:25 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown targeting demonstrators.
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyber-attacks and direct strikes by the US or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The military is looking at it, and we're looking at some very strong options," Mr 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."
Trump said his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
"I think they're tired of being beat up by the United States," Trump said. "Iran wants to negotiate.
"The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what's happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate."
There was no immediate acknowledgement from Iran of the offering for a meeting. The massive ongoing US military deployment to the Caribbean is a factor that the Pentagon and Trump's national security planners must consider.
Tehran also warned that the US military and Israel would be "legitimate targets" if America uses force to protect demonstrators. Trump meanwhile said the Islamic Republic reached out and proposed negotiations.
Over 10,000 protesters detained in Iran, says rights group
Monday 12 January 2026 07:05 , Namita SinghMore than 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and has also maintained a running death toll.
It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult.
Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran's security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country's capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
What is happening in Iran?
Monday 12 January 2026 06:45 , Namita SinghBuildings, buses and shops have been burned to the ground, turning Iran’s capital Tehran into a “war zone” as protests demanding the fall of the country’s supreme leader grow.
At least 500 people have been killed in clashes with police and more than 10,000 arrested, according to rights groups, who say the toll could be greater since Ayatollah Ali Khameini’s regime has cut off the outside world with a near-total internet blackout.
This unrest follows a tumultuous period for the regime, which is still recovering from a heavy 12-day conflict in June, initiated by Israel, that saw US forces bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, report my colleagues Maira Butt & James C. Reynolds.
What is happening in Iran? Internet blackout and Israel blamed after mass protests
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
Monday 12 January 2026 06:25 , Namita SinghA chaotic scene unfolded in Los Angeles on Sunday after a man drove a U-Haul truck into a crowd protesting against the Iranian government, police say.
The incident happened around 3:30pm local time near the federal building in the Westwood neighborhood of the city, ABC7 reports.
Footage from the incident shows protestors trying to pull the suspect out of his vehicle after the collision, according to The LA Times. The protestors continued to lash out at the suspect as police escorted him away.
Report:
Man drives U-Haul into crowd protesting against Iranian government in LA: cops
Video: Trump says U.S. mulling 'some very strong options' on Iran as protest death toll rises
Monday 12 January 2026 06:05 , Namita SinghDeath toll in Iran mounts as UK calls for Ayatollah’s regime to show restraint
Monday 12 January 2026 05:45 , Namita SinghThe death toll in Iran mounted as protests continued to be brutally suppressed while the UK government called for the Tehran regime to show restraint.
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands detained in the uprising against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule.In London, protesters returned to Iran’s embassy, toppling the flagpole outside the building.
It is the second day running the Iranian flag has been targeted at the embassy – on Saturday a protester scaled the front of the building to replace the flag with the pre-Islamic revolution lion and sun standard.
Report:
Death toll in Iran mounts as UK calls for Ayatollah’s regime to show restraint
In pictures: People rally around the world in support of protests in Iran
Monday 12 January 2026 05:25 , Namita Singh
Analysis: What next for Iran as its regime faces gravest existential threat
Monday 12 January 2026 05:05 , Namita SinghAfter a disastrous 12-day war with Israel last year and diminished support from its allies, Iran’s leaders have resorted to brutal violence to crush a mass uprising that is only going to get more bloody, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew
Iran’s regime is facing its gravest threat: here’s why - and what happens next
Trump says Iran wants to negotiate
Monday 12 January 2026 04:45 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump said Iran reached out to the US and proposed negotiations after he threatened action over a crackdown on protesters.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as the death toll in Iran mounts and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they're tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. He added: “Iran wants to negotiate.”
A timeline of Iran's growing protest movement
Monday 12 January 2026 04:25 , Namita Singh28 December: Protests break out in two major markets in downtown Tehran, after the Iranian rial plunged to a new record low.
29 December: The central bank head resigns as the protests spread and police fire tear gas at protesters.
30 December: President Masoud Pezeshkian vows to work with business leaders to hear their demands as university campuses join protests.
31 December: Protests in Fasa allegedly turn violent after crowds break into the governor’s office.
1 January: The protests' first fatalities are officially reported, with authorities saying at least seven people have been killed.
2 January: Trump threatens Iran if it kills peaceful protesters.
3 January: Khamenei greenlights security forces in crackdown. Protests reach 170 locations with 15 dead.
8 January: The government blocks the internet after Reza Pahlavi calls on citizens to act.
9 January: Iran ramps up threats of punishment with 65 reported killed and 2,300 detained.
11 January: Iran’s parliament speaker threatens to strike US military bases in the region if Trump attacks, as rights groups say 538 people have now been killed. HRANA reports arrests have surpassed 10,000.
Trump says he will talk to Musk about restoring internet in Iran
Monday 12 January 2026 04:05 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities have blacked out services for four days amid ongoing anti-government protests.
"He's very good at that kind of thing, he's got a very good company," Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk's SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.
Musk and SpaceX did not immediately comment on Trump’s remarks.
The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday amid the most expansive protests against the country's clerical establishment since 2022.
Deaths from Iran protests reach more than 500, rights group says
Monday 12 January 2026 03:45 , Namita SinghUnrest in Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said on Sunday, as Tehran threatened to target US military bases if president Donald Trump carries out his renewed threats to intervene on behalf of protesters.
With the Islamic Republic's clerical establishment facing the biggest demonstrations since 2022, Trump has repeatedly threatened to get involved if force is used on protesters.
According to its latest figures - from activists inside and outside Iran - US-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest.
Iran has not given an official toll and Reuters was unable to independently verify the tallies.
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
Monday 12 January 2026 03:30 , Namita SinghLos Angeles police responded on Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.
The U-Haul truck, with a window and side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver's side window.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained "pending further investigation," police said in a statement Sunday evening.
The police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt. Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Several hundred people, some waving the flag of Iran, had gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA's Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5pm only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran's capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again on Sunday.
Watch: Iran parliament speaker threatens Trump with retaliation
Monday 12 January 2026 03:15 , Dan HaygarthFootage from Saturday showed large crowds in Tehran
Monday 12 January 2026 03:00 , Dan HaygarthThe flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday.
Footage posted on social media on Saturday from Tehran showed large crowds marching at night, clapping and chanting. The crowd "has no end nor beginning," a man is heard saying.
Footage from the northeastern city of Mashhad showed smoke billowing into the night sky from fires in the street, masked protesters and a road strewn with debris, another video posted on Saturday showed.
Explosions could be heard.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was shocked by reports of violence by the Iranian authorities and urged maximum restraint.
"The rights to freedom of expression, association & peaceful assembly must be fully respected & protected," he said on X on Sunday.
Trump says US are looking at 'very strong options'
Monday 12 January 2026 02:39 , Andrew GeorgesonTrump told reporters that he was getting “hourly” updates on the situation in Iran during a press huddle on Air Force One Sunday night.
“We’re looking at some very strong options,” he said, adding that Iran was “starting” to cross his red line, according to the New York Times.
Trump to be briefed by senior officials this week as his considers his options
Monday 12 January 2026 02:14 , Dan HaygarthPresident Donald Trump is set to be briefed this week by senior administration officials on his options to respond to widespread anti-government protests in Iran, according to a report.
Trump will be briefed Tuesday on specific routes of response to the protests, suggesting that he is considering reprimanding the regime for cracking down on demonstrators, as he has previously warned he would do, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
The president will meet with senior administration officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine to weigh the options, which include boosting anti-government sources online, utilizing secret cyber weapons, and placing more sanctions on the regime and military strikes, according to the report.
The Independent view: Regime change in Iran would be welcome
Monday 12 January 2026 01:30 , Daniel HaygarthEditorial: Iran’s unremittingly harsh leadership faces one of the most serious challenges to its theocratic rule since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979.
After weeks of nationwide protests, the ayatollahs’ spell could soon be broken – which is how counter-revolutions begin, and governments fall
Read the full article: Regime change in Iran would be welcome
