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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has alleged that nationwide protests “turned convulsive and bloody to springiness an excuse” for United States President Donald Trump to intervene militarily successful the country.
Araghchi told overseas diplomats successful Tehran connected Monday that the unit spiked implicit the weekend, but the “situation is present nether full control”.
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He said Trump’s informing of subject enactment against Tehran should protests crook bloody motivated “terrorists” to people protesters and information forces to invitation overseas intervention. “We are acceptable for warfare but besides for dialogue,” helium added.
Araghchi besides said Iran has footage of weapons being distributed to protesters, adding authorities volition soon merchandise confessions of detainees, and that authorities are “closely following” the ongoing events connected the streets.
The demonstrations were “stoked and fuelled” by overseas elements, helium said, noting information forces would “hunt down” those responsible.
Iran’s spiralling protests person present entered a 3rd week amid a nationwide net blackout and repeated subject involution threats from Trump.
Iran’s authorities has declared 3 days of nationalist mourning for the “martyrs” killed during the protests, including members of information forces.
The semiofficial Tasnim quality bureau reported connected Sunday that 109 information unit person been killed successful the protests.
Authorities person not confirmed the fig of demonstrators who person mislaid their lives, but absorption activists based extracurricular the state accidental the decease toll is higher and includes hundreds of protesters.
Initially prompted by choler implicit the rising outgo of living, the demonstrations person evolved into nationwide protests and a superior situation to the authorities successful spot since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The Fars quality bureau reported that constricted protestation gatherings took spot successful respective neighbourhoods of the superior connected Sunday night.
There were constricted “riots” successful Navvab and Saadat Abad neighbourhoods of Tehran, Junqan and Hafshejan successful Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, and Taybad of Mashhad, which were intervened and dissolved by information forces, according to Fars.
The bureau reported that the different cities and regions successful the state were mostly calm without “riots” overnight.
A nationwide net blackout has entered its 4th time successful the country, according to reports, a determination wide criticised by quality rights organisations.
Connectivity watchdog NetBlocks reported the net crossed Iran is inactive down, describing the concern arsenic a “national net blackout”.
It has present been 84 hours since the state past had accordant connectivity. NetBlocks noted, however, immoderate Iranians person developed methods to bypass the restrictions.
There person been less videos showing protests connected societal media precocious owed to the net shutdown.
The United Kingdom-based Amnesty International slammed the signifier connected Friday arsenic a mode of hiding “violations successful escalating deadly crackdown connected protesters”.
Addressing the net blackout, Araghchi said it would soon beryllium restored, and added that the authorities was coordinating with the information constitution to marque advancement connected that. He said the transportation would beryllium restored to embassies and authorities ministries, too.
This screengrab from a video released by Iran authorities TV shows vehicles burning amid the nighttime of wide protests successful Tehran, January 8, 2026 [Iran authorities TV via AP]‘We’re looking astatine immoderate precise beardown options’
As protests persist, defying a crackdown, Trump said connected Sunday the US is considering “strong options” successful effect to the concern successful Iran, including imaginable subject intervention.
“We’re looking astatine it precise seriously. The subject is looking astatine it, and we’re looking astatine immoderate precise beardown options. We’ll marque a determination,” helium told reporters connected committee Air Force One, adding that Iran’s enactment had called “to negotiate” aft his threats of subject action, and that a “meeting is being acceptable up”.
Earlier connected Sunday, parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned the US against “a miscalculation”.
“Let america beryllium clear, successful the lawsuit of an onslaught connected Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] arsenic good arsenic each US bases and ships volition beryllium our morganatic target,” said Qalibaf, a erstwhile commandant successful the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran faced a 12-day warfare with Israel and the US past twelvemonth aft Israel attacked successful June, erstwhile Washington besides bombed the country’s atomic sites.
The warfare killed hundreds of civilians, subject commanders and scientists, and Tehran responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting Israel, sidesplitting 28.
Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed economical plans successful an interrogation connected Sunday.
Pezeshkian said the US and Israel want to “sow chaos and disorder” in his state by ordering “riots” and called upon citizens to distance themselves from “rioters and terrorists”, according to the authorities media.
The protests person go 1 of the biggest challenges to the regularisation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming successful the aftermath of the 12-day war. State TV has aired images of burning buildings, including a mosque, arsenic good arsenic ceremonial processions for information personnel.
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