Iran latest: Fears of major escalation with US after Trump trades threats with Tehran over widespread protests
Fears are growing of a major escalation between the US and Iran, after Tehran warned it is “ready for war” in response to Donald Trump’s threats of military action in the country
The US president said he is considering “very strong options” for a possible military response in Iran, after monitoring groups say at least 544 people have been killed died in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
“We are ready for war but also for dialogue,” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded.
He said that warnings of military action against Tehran from Trump, if the protests turned bloody, would motivate “terrorists” to target protesters and security forces to provoke foreign intervention.
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyber-attacks and direct strikes by the US or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions.
But the US president also said Tehran had been in touch and “they want to negotiate” to prevent such action.
The US-based rights group HRANA reported on Sunday evening that the death toll had surpassed 500, and that more than 10,000 people had been arrested.
