WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said Washington may be forced to take action against Iran amid ongoing nationwide protests, even as he claimed that Tehran has reached out to the United States seeking negotiations.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iranian leaders had contacted Washington to discuss diplomatic engagement. When asked whether Iran wanted to negotiate with him, the President responded in the affirmative.
“They do. They called. Iran called to negotiate yesterday. The leaders of Iran called. They want to negotiate. I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States. Iran wants to negotiate,” Trump said.
He added that a meeting was in the process of being arranged but cautioned that developments inside Iran could prompt U.S. action before any talks take place. “We may meet with them. I mean, it’s a meeting being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up,” he said.
When asked about Iran’s warning that it would consider U.S. military and commercial bases as legitimate targets if Washington launched strikes, Trump issued a sharp warning. “If they do that, we’ll consider things that they wouldn’t believe. We will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before,” he said.
Pressed on whether he believed Iran would take the threat seriously, Trump replied, “Wouldn’t you say that they probably do at this point, after going through it for years with me? … Soleimani, al-Baghdadi, the Iran nuclear threat wiped out. What a stupid question.”
With internet services shut down in the Islamic Republic for the past two days, Trump was also asked whether his administration was considering steps to enable internet access in Iran, including through Elon Musk’s Starlink service. He said discussions were underway but no final decision had been taken. “We are going to be talking about that. We may get the internet going. We may speak to Elon Musk; I am going to call him,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham suggested that American military action against Iran could be imminent. Speaking at a fundraising event hosted by the Tzedek Association, Graham said developments related to Iran could unfold at any moment.
“I don’t know what, but this might be the night. It’s just a matter of time now. This tyrannical regime needs to end. We need to end this for the good people of Iran and for ourselves and the people of Israel,” Graham said.
The remarks come as Iran has been gripped by widespread unrest for the past 15 days, with protests erupting across several provinces over soaring inflation and economic hardship. The demonstrations have escalated into nationwide unrest, marked by violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
According to the press wing of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, at least 544 people have been reported killed during the anti-government demonstrations, with dozens of other cases still under investigation. More than 10,681 individuals have been taken into custody and transferred to prisons, with protests reported at 585 locations across 186 cities in all 31 provinces.
The protests began on December 28 and have since spread across multiple cities, with authorities responding through arrests, crackdowns and the use of force.
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