Trending 
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s government had contacted him seeking “to negotiate”, as protests across the Islamic Republic entered a second week and reports emerged of a growing death toll following a security crackdown.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump claimed that Iranian leaders had reached out after he repeatedly warned of possible US military action if protesters were killed.
“The leaders of Iran called yesterday,” Trump said, adding that “a meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate.” He cautioned, however, that “we may have to act before a meeting.”
Iran has been marred by nationwide protests that began over rising living costs and have since evolved into a broader challenge to the political system established after the 1979 revolution. Rights groups say the demonstrations have continued despite an intensified crackdown by security forces.
Information from inside the country has been limited by a days-long internet shutdown, though videos from Tehran and other cities have continued to circulate, showing large crowds and security deployments.
The US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said it had received “eyewitness accounts and credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed across Iran during the current internet shutdown”.
“A massacre is unfolding,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights said it had confirmed at least 192 protester deaths but warned the actual number could be significantly higher.
“Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundred, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed,” said IHR.
More than 2,600 protesters have been arrested, IHR estimates.
Video footage circulating online showed dozens of bodies outside a morgue south of Tehran. The images, geolocated by AFP to the Kahrizak area, appeared to show bodies wrapped in black bags as relatives searched for missing family members.
An AFP journalist in Tehran described a city in a state of near paralysis, with many shops closed and others shutting early as security forces deployed in large numbers. Food prices, including meat, have risen since the protests began.
While fewer protest videos appeared online Sunday, it was unclear whether that reflected a decline in demonstrations or the impact of internet restrictions. One widely shared clip showed protesters gathering in Tehran’s Pounak district and chanting slogans in support of the former monarchy.
The protests have become one of the biggest challenges to the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel’s 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in June, which was backed by the United States.
State TV has aired images of burning buildings, including a mosque, as well as funeral processions for security personnel.
But after three days of mass actions, state outlets were at pains to present a picture of calm returning, broadcasting images of smooth-flowing traffic on Sunday. Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian insisted in televised comments that “the number of protests is decreasing”.
The Iranian government announced three days of national mourning for “martyrs” on Sunday, including members of the security forces who were killed. Iranians were also urged by President Masoud Pezeshkian to participate in a “national resistance march” on Monday in protest of the violence.
In response to Trump’s repeated threats to intervene, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Iran would hit back, calling US military and shipping “legitimate targets” in comments broadcast by state TV.
