ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday that the communication channel between its minister and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy remains “open,” adding that Tehran is seeking “meaningful” talks with Washington. The remarks come a day before Trump is reportedly set to be briefed on specific options for responding to the ongoing protests in Iran, reportedly including possible military strikes.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said, “The communication channel is open between the Iranian Foreign Minister [Abbas Araghchi] and the US president’s special envoy [Steve Witkoff], through which messages are exchanged whenever needed,” according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.
Baghaei added that this channel operates “alongside the official channel, which is the Swiss embassy acting as the US Interests Section in Iran,” confirming that “the American side has raised some issues” and emphasizing that “Iran has never left the negotiating table and has always been committed to diplomacy.”
“Tehran seeks a kind of negotiation that is meaningful and mutual,” he reportedly said.
Hours earlier, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Washington DC, that “the leaders of Iran called” on Sunday and that “a meeting is being set up.” He added that “Iran wants to negotiate with us” as “they’re tired of being beat up by the United States.”
When asked about the ongoing deadly protests in Iran and whether Washington would take action, Trump said, “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options.”
Trump’s remarks came shortly after US officials told the Wall Street Journal that the American president is scheduled to be briefed by senior administration officials on Tuesday regarding specific options to respond to the protests.
The Sunday report elaborated that the briefing will cover potential next steps, including military strikes, deploying cyber tools against Iranian military and civilian sites, imposing additional sanctions on Iran’s government, and bolstering anti-government sources online.
The briefing comes after Trump had in early January warned the Iranian government that Washington would intervene if Tehran used lethal force against demonstrators.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote in a message on his Truth Social platform.
Deadly unrest
Iran is currently facing its most significant internal security threat in years, marked by a wave of anti-government protests triggered by a historic currency crash that saw the Iranian rial hit a record low of 1.45 million rials to the US dollar.
The uprising began on December 28 when merchants shuttered their shops at the Alaeddin Mall in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar but has since spread to at least 156 separate demonstrations across 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
While Tehran has yet to release an official death toll, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed on Sunday that “hundreds” of people, including security forces, have been killed.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that as of Sunday, at least 483 protesters and 47 security personnel had been killed. However, these figures are likely underestimated, especially given the government imposed internet blockout that has entered its fifth day.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) reported last week that over 2,000 people had been “arbitrarily arrested,” a figure that has since risen to over 10,000 according to activist aggregates.
Of note, the Kurdish-majority province of Ilam in southwestern Iran has emerged as a particularly violent flashpoint. Video footage showed security forces firing toward a local hospital during clashes with protesters in the Malekshahi district, killing at least six people, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in early January blamed the US and Israel for the unrest, calling them “enemies” and directing that “rioters” be “put in place,” while also urging officials to engage with those he described as “legitimate protesters.”
In a similar vein, Baghaei reiterated Monday that “peaceful protests were met with an appropriate response,” but argued that the country was also facing “US and Israeli officials’ interventionist remarks.”