• Tehran confirms contact with US envoy; both sides accuse each other of ‘duplicity’
• White House ‘weighing military strikes’; Iran says ‘more prepared than ever’ for war
• Iranian embassy in Islamabad blames US, Israel for foreign-backed violence
• Foreign organisations estimate hundreds of casualties in unrest; Iranian capital witnesses huge pro-govt demo

DUBAI: Amid simmering tensions and widespread protests in Iran, Tehran and Washington kept “communication channels open” on Monday, even as leaders from both sides ramped up rhetoric about possible military action.

Foreign sources claimed that several people had been killed in the unrest currently sweeping Iran, as authorities sought to regain control of the streets with mass nationwide rallies.

US President Donald Trump is due to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, a US official told Reuters. The Wall Street Journal reported that the options included military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.

Due to a country-wide internet blackout, reports based on information or videos trickling out of Iran remained scant and hard to verify. While foreign-based NGOs claimed that several hundred people had been killed in the protests so far, Iranian outlets reported an altogether different version of events.

“Iran wants to negotiate, yes. We might meet with them. A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what is happening before the meeting, but a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” he told reporters on Air Force One a day earlier.

“The communication channel between our Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and the US special envoy (Steve Witkoff) is open and messages are exchanged whenever necessary,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

Although US President Donald Trump had signalled over the weekend that Washington may meet with Iranian officials, the White House has stepped up pressure on Tehran, saying that it was not afraid to use military force over violence against demonstrators, but prefers to go the diplomatic route.

Baghaei said “contradictory messages” from the US showed a lack of seriousness, but that contacts continued. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also leveled a similar accusation, saying that that Iran was sending “quite different” messages privately than what it is saying publicly.

The Iranian leadership has coupled its openness to talks with warnings against military intervention.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday regarding the recent unrest in the country, Iran’s Embassy in Islamabad characterised the events as legitimate economic protests that were exploited by foreign-backed violence.

Conflicting accounts

US-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 572 people -- 503 protesters and 69 security personnel, with 10,694 people arrested since the protests began on Dec 28 and spread around the country.

The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it had confirmed 648 people killed during the protests, including nine minors, and thousands more injuries, but warned the death toll was likely much higher -- “according to some estimates more than 6,000”, it claimed.

However, according to broadcasts on Iranian state media, thousands of people filled the capital’s Inqilaab Square, brandishing national flag as prayers were offered for victims of what the government has termed “riots”.

Addressing the state-organised rally, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Trump against a “miscalculation,” threatening that American bases and ships in the region would be destroyed if Washington attacked.

“Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” Qalibaf said, referring to Israel.

Verified video footage from a forensic centre in Tehran also showed rows of body bags, though Reuters was unable to independently verify casualty tallies.

Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, on Monday doubled down on threats of “swift and harsh” punishment for detainees. Officials warned that “rioters” could face charges of moharebeh — waging war against God — a crime punishable by death.

Araghchi stated that 53 mosques and 180 ambulances had been burned during the unrest, blaming the violence on “terrorists” backed by the US and Israel.

‘Fact sheet’

According to the Iranian embassy in Islamabad, “sector-based protest gatherings” began on Dec 28, 2025. These demonstrations were initially organised by traders in the Tehran Bazaar, driven by economic grievances following a sharp increase in foreign exchange rates.

While reaffirming Tehran’s commitment to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly under its constitution, the embassy drew a sharp distinction between “lawful demands” and violent insurrection.

“Distinction should be made between peaceful protest and riots or violent acts,” the embassy wrote. “The rights of millions of peace-seeking Iranians will not be compromised due to the actions of a very limited number of violent individuals.”

The statement emphasised that international human rights bodies should not expect law enforcement to remain “indifferent to armed or violent acts” that occur alongside peaceful assemblies.

Officials alleged that lawful gatherings were manipulated due to foreign interference, escalating into armed clashes in some instances.

The release detailed specific allegations of violence, including attacks on police stations, the use of firearms, and the deployment of “incendiary devices such as Molotov cocktails” against officers.

Despite these challenges, the embassy insisted that police have exercised “restraint” and “utmost care” to restore order while minimising harm.

The statement levelled heavy accusations against the United States and Israel. The embassy rejected the Israeli Prime Minister’s recent expressions of sympathy for the Iranian people as “profoundly deceptive,” alleging that the “Zionist regime” actively seeks to sow division within Iranian society.

The release stated that aggressive actions by Israel have resulted in the deaths of more than 1,100 Iranian citizens over several decades.

Furthermore, Tehran strongly condemned the US president and other American officials for “reckless statements” regarding Iran’s internal affairs.

The embassy concluded by identifying “unilateral coercive measures” as the primary driver of the country’s economic instability.

The statement argued that these extensive sanctions have restricted Iran’s financial resources, disrupted trade and investment, and blocked access to essential goods, thereby having a “direct and adverse impact” on the livelihoods of ordinary citizens.

The ambassadors of Britain, Italy, Germany and France in Tehran were summoned to the foreign ministry, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, and asked to relay to their governments Tehran’s request to withdraw their support for the protests.

Meanwhile, addressing the potential for US involvement, China on Monday also expressed its opposition to a foreign intervention.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called on all parties to contribute to regional stability, stating that Beijing opposes “interference in other countries’ internal affairs.”

“We call on all parties to do more things conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East,” she added.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2026