Tehran 11 January 2026 #2

11 January 2026

President Trump warned: “There seem to be some people killed [in Iran protests] that aren’t supposed to be killed… We are looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it. We are looking at very strong options”. He also revealed that Iranian officials had reached out to restart talks, saying: “We may meet with them. A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening, before the meeting”. Asked about Iranian threats of retaliation, Trump said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before”. The following day, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war… We are also ready for negotiations but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect”. He also claimed that protests “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. intervention. Relatedly, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson confirmed that a channel to the U.S. “is open and whenever needed, through that channel the necessary messages are exchanged”.