Iran says ‘prepared for war’ as alarm grows over protest toll

Published on: January 13, 2026 4:13 AM

Iran’s foreign minister said on Monday the Islamic republic is ready for both war and talks after repeated threats from US President Donald Trump to intervene militarily over a crackdown on protests that activists fear has killed hundreds. Over two weeks of protests initially sparked by economic grievances have turned into one of the biggest challenges yet to the theocratic system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the shah. In a sign of the severity of the crisis, the authorities have imposed an internet blackout that has now lasted more than three-and-a-half days and that activists say is aimed at masking the extent of the deadly crackdown. Seeking to regain the initiative, the government was looking to fill streets nationwide with rallies backing the Islamic republic. Trump said Sunday that Iran’s leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989 and now 86, had called him seeking “to negotiate” after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran broadcast by state television. “We are also ready for negotiations but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect.” Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said a channel of communication is open between Araghchi and Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff despite the lack of diplomatic relations. “Messages are exchanged whenever necessary,” he said, noting that while the United States has no diplomatic presence in Iran, its interests are represented by the Swiss embassy. Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Oman, which has on occasion acted as a mediator, met Araghchi in Tehran on Saturday. Trump, who has threatened new military action after the US backed Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June, said Tehran had indicated its willingness to talk. “The leaders of Iran called” yesterday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that “a meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate”. He added, however, that “we may have to act before a meeting”. Iran’s shutdown of the internet has now lasted more than 84 hours, said monitor Netblocks. The blackout has severely affected the ability of Iranians to post videos of the mass protests that have rocked big cities since Thursday. A video circulating on Sunday showed dozens of bodies accumulating outside a morgue south of Tehran amid fears the toll from a crackdown on the protests could amount to hundreds of people or even higher. The footage, geolocated by AFP to Kahrizak, showed bodies wrapped in black bags, with what appeared to be grieving relatives searching for loved ones. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but that the actual toll could be much higher. “Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundreds, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed,” said IHR.