ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iranian leaders have reached out to negotiate, amid escalating unrest inside the country, mass arrests of protesters, and the killing of dozens over the past two weeks.
“The leaders of Iran called” yesterday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that “a meeting is being set up... They want to negotiate.”
He also added that: “I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States. Iran wants to negotiate with us.”
Trump also addressed reports of killings in Iran during the protests.
“There seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed. These are violent, if you call them leaders. I don’t know if their leaders are just, they rule through violence, but we’re looking at it very seriously,” Trump said.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make it determination.”
When asked by CNN whether Iran takes his threats seriously, Trump responded: “Wouldn't you say that they probably do at this point, after going through it for years with me? Being hit, Soleimani [Qasem Soleimani], al-Baghdadi [Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi], the Iran nuclear threat wiped out... What a stupid question.”
As the unrest continues in Iranian cities, the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said Saturday it has confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters, warning that the real number could be significantly higher.
“Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundreds, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed,” said IHR.
“Iran Human Rights expresses its deep concern over the escalation and continuation of the killing of protesters, as well as the serious risk of mass executions of detainees, and calls for an immediate response from the international community.