544 Dead, thousands jailed: Trump says Iran wants talks as protests explode

“The leaders of Iran called,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on January 11, as quoted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

“We may meet with them. A 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,” Trump was quoted as saying by Axios.

Meanwhile, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the violent crackdown on anti-regime protests has resulted in at least 544 deaths.

The agency added that more than 10,681 people have been transferred to prisons following their arrests.

According to the group, protests have erupted at 585 locations across 186 cities, spanning all 31 provinces of Iran.

The unrest, which initially began over soaring inflation, has now escalated into demands for an end to clerical rule under Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The current demonstrations mark the most widespread protests since the 2022 uprising, which followed the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Amini, a Kurdish woman, was detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. Her death sparked nationwide protests and drew international condemnation.