'A meeting is being set up': Trump says Iran wants negotiations, even as US weighs action

Trump says Iran has reached out to negotiate, but the US is weighing military and sanctions options as a deadly crackdown on protests intensifies.

• Trump says Iran wants to negotiate but warns US may act before any meeting
• Iran protests result in 500+ deaths, 10,000 arrests since December 28
• US reviewing military, cyber, and sanctions options over Iran crackdown

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US President Donald Trump said Iran has reached out to negotiate with Washington, even as he warned that the US may be forced to act before any meeting takes place due to Tehran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests.

“Iran wants to negotiate, yes. 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,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“Iran wants to negotiate, yes. We may meet with them - I mean 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, Iran called they want to negotiate.” pic.twitter.com/77Cemunyzl

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 12, 2026

Red line warning amid protest deaths

Trump said Iran was 'starting to cross my red line' as security forces intensified a crackdown on demonstrations that have now entered their third consecutive week.

“There seems to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed,” he said, adding that the US military was reviewing “very strong options.”

According to reports cited by US-based activists, at least 538 people have been killed and more than 10,600 arrested since protests erupted on December 28. Independent verification has been hampered by widespread internet shutdowns imposed by Iranian authorities.

What triggered the unrest

The protests, the largest since 2022, were sparked by Iran’s worsening economic crisis following a collapse in the national currency. The rial has reportedly fallen to nearly 1.4 million to the US dollar, fuelling anger that has increasingly targeted Iran’s political leadership.

Inflation is estimated at about 42 percent, compounding the pressure from years of US-led sanctions and weak growth.

US response under review

Trump said the administration is actively weighing its response and that he will receive a high-level briefing on Tuesday, January 13, focused on military, cyber and sanctions-based options.

“We’re looking at it very seriously,” Trump said as he returned to Washington from Mar-a-Lago. “We’ll make a determination.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the president’s stance, saying the US stands with “the courageous people of Iran.”

Tehran pushes back

Inside Iran, the political establishment has blamed foreign interference. Lawmakers chanted 'Death to America' in parliament, accusing the US and Israel of inciting unrest.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared national security a red line and warned that US regional bases and Israeli sites would be considered 'legitimate targets' if Washington intervenes.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed protesters as foreign-backed saboteurs, even as authorities tightened controls on information and movement.