Trump says Iran wants to negotiate as the death toll in protests rises to at least 599

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negociate with Washington aft his menace to onslaught the Islamic Republic implicit its crackdown connected protesters successful nationwide demonstrations that activists said Monday had near astatine slightest 599 radical dead.

Iran had nary nonstop absorption to Trump's comments, which came aft the overseas curate of Oman — agelong an interlocutor betwixt Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It besides remains unclear conscionable what Iran could promise, peculiarly arsenic Trump has acceptable strict demands implicit its atomic programme and its ballistic rocket arsenal, which Tehran insists is important for its nationalist defense.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to overseas diplomats successful Tehran, insisted “the concern has travel nether full control” successful remarks that blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, without offering evidence.

“That’s wherefore the demonstrations turned convulsive and bloody to springiness an excuse to the American president to intervene,” Araghchi said, successful comments carried by Al Jazeera. The Qatar-funded web has been allowed to study unrecorded from wrong Iran, contempt the net being unopen off.

However, Araghchi said Iran was “open to diplomacy.” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that a transmission to the U.S. remained open, but talks needed to beryllium “based connected the acceptance of communal interests and concerns, not a dialog that is one-sided, unilateral and based connected dictation.”

Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets connected Monday successful enactment of the theocracy, a amusement of unit aft days of protests straight challenging the regularisation of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian authorities tv aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to fig successful the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Others cried out: “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s lawyer wide has warned that anyone taking portion successful protests volition beryllium considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.

Trump acknowledges connection for talks

Trump and his nationalist information squad person been weighing a scope of imaginable responses against Iran, including cyberattacks and nonstop strikes by the U.S. oregon Israel, according to 2 radical acquainted with interior White House discussions who weren't authorized to remark publically and spoke connected information of anonymity.

“The subject is looking astatine it, and we’re looking astatine immoderate precise beardown options,” Trump told reporters connected Air Force One connected Sunday night. Asked astir Iran’s threats of retaliation, helium said: “If they bash that, we volition deed them astatine levels that they’ve ne'er been deed before.”

Trump said that his medication was successful talks to acceptable up a gathering with Tehran, but cautioned that helium whitethorn person to enactment archetypal arsenic reports of the decease toll successful Iran equine and the authorities continues to apprehension protesters.

“I deliberation they’re bushed of being bushed up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

Iran, done the country's parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. subject and Israel would beryllium “legitimate targets” if Washington uses unit to support demonstrators.

More than 10,600 radical besides person been detained implicit the 2 weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been close successful erstwhile unrest successful caller years and gave the decease toll. It relies connected supporters successful Iran crosschecking information. It said 510 of the dormant were protesters and 89 were information unit members.

With the net down successful Iran and telephone lines chopped off, gauging the demonstrations from overseas has grown much difficult. The Associated Press has been incapable to independently measure the toll. Iran’s authorities hasn't offered wide casualty figures.

Those overseas fearfulness the accusation blackout is emboldening hard-liners wrong Iran’s information services to motorboat a convulsive crackdown. Protesters flooded Tehran's streets and its second-largest metropolis connected Saturday nighttime into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to amusement much demonstrations Sunday nighttime into Monday, with a Tehran authoritative acknowledging them successful authorities media.

At 2 p.m. Monday, Iranian authorities tv showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square, oregon “Islamic Revolution” Square successful the capital. It had been airing statements each greeting from Iranian government, information and spiritual leaders to be the demonstration.

It called the rally an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying choler successful the state implicit the nation’s ailing economy. State tv aired images of specified demonstrations astir the country, trying to awesome it had flooded the protests.

Fear pervades Iran's capital

In Tehran, a witnesser told the AP that the streets were bare astatine the sunset telephone to prayers each night. By the Isha, oregon nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fearfulness of getting caught successful the crackdown. Police sent the nationalist a substance connection that warned: “Given the beingness of violent groups and equipped individuals successful immoderate gatherings past nighttime and their plans to origin death, and the steadfast determination to not tolerate immoderate appeasement and to woody decisively with the rioters, families are powerfully advised to instrumentality attraction of their younker and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to travel from the quality limb of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, besides straight warned radical not to instrumentality portion successful demonstrations.

The witnesser spoke connected information of anonymity owed to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 implicit the illness of the Iranian rial currency, which trades astatine much than 1.4 cardinal to $1, arsenic iran's system is squeezed by planetary sanctions successful portion levied implicit its atomic program. The protests intensified and grew into calls straight challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Video shows corpses extracurricular capital

Meanwhile, video circulating online purports to amusement dozens of bodies successful a morgue connected the outskirts of Iran’s capital.

People with cognition of the installation and the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Monday that the video shows the Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Center.

In the footage, radical are seen walking by dozens of bodies successful bags laid retired successful a ample room, attempting to place those there. In immoderate cases, bodies tin beryllium seen lying extracurricular connected bluish tarps. A ample motortruck tin beryllium seen successful portion of the footage.

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Julia Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One. Melanie Lidman contributed to this study from Tel Aviv, Israel.

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