Mass protests in Iran
Trump: “Iran wants to negotiate”
Updated 01/12/2026 – 05:35 amReading time: 4 minutes
The mass protests in Iran continue. UN chief Guterres calls for an end to state violence against the demonstrators. According to US President Trump, Tehran now wants to negotiate. But about what?
In view of the mass protests in Iran against the authoritarian government, US President Donald Trump is increasing the pressure on the Islamic Republic. “Iran wants to negotiate,” he told reporters on board the government plane Air Force One. They may meet with representatives of Iran and a meeting is being prepared. In view of what is happening in Iran, the USA may have to act beforehand, Trump warned, with a view to the ongoing protests. He did not specify what Iran would like to talk to the US about.
Trump is considering supporting protesters in Iran with satellite internet. He wanted to call tech billionaire Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX operates the Starlink service, on Sunday (local time). Iran’s government has almost completely blocked people’s internet access, and telephone connections also appeared to no longer work in some cases. She wants to make communication between the demonstrators more difficult. In addition, the publication of reports, photos and videos about the mass protests should be suppressed.
“Iran called and they want to negotiate,” Trump said. They are tired of being beaten by the USA, he said – probably with a view to the Israeli attacks on the Iranian nuclear program, in which the US military also took part last year. A journalist initially asked Trump on the plane whether Iran might want to negotiate again with the USA about its controversial nuclear program. Afterwards, however, the reporter asked generally whether Iran wanted to negotiate.
Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah who was overthrown in 1979, called for the next phase of the uprising “to overthrow the Islamic Republic” in a new message to the protest movement. In addition to occupying central streets in cities, all institutions that are responsible for state propaganda and interrupting communications are now “legitimate targets,” Pahlavi explained on the online platform
From his exile in the USA, he claims a leadership role in the opposition. How much support he actually has in Iran is unclear.
According to activists, demonstrations have spread to 186 cities. The US-based human rights network HRANA reported that 483 demonstrators were killed. A total of 544 people have died so far, including children and 47 security forces. Around 10,700 people were arrested, it said. The organization’s information could not be independently verified.
