Iran has threatened that it is “ready for war” after Donald Trump threatened military action in the country if deaths continue mounting in the crackdown on anti-government protests.
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 now died in clashes between demonstrators in Iran and the 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.
Key Points
- Trump says US are looking at 'very strong options'
- Internet to be restored, says Tehran says without giving time frame
- Iran parliament speaker threatens Trump with retaliation - watch
- Fashion student, 23, ‘shot dead in back of the head’ in Iran protests
- Deaths from Iran protests reach more than 500, rights group says
- Trump says he will talk to Musk about restoring internet in Iran
Online footage appears to show dozens of body bags in Tehran
08:19 , Alex CroftOur chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
On Sunday, several Iranian Telegram pages and social media groups linked to the activist community, shared multiple clips filmed from different angles, apparently showing dozens, if not hundreds, of bodies in body bags laid out on the floor of a forensic facility in a southern area of Tehran. The Independent was unable to independently verify these.
In one series of clips shared by Sarah Ramani, an Iranian activist based out outside of the country, women can be heard screaming and crying, some collapsing in grief, while others move between bodies littering the ground inside and outside a warehouse, looking for their loved ones. The footage was allegedly filmed by someone on Thursday, who has since managed to leave Iran. A different video shared by “Vahid Online” the pseudonym of a popular Iranian blogger, also out of the country, appear to show similar scenes from the same facility.
Iranian state TV has also aired footage of dozens of body bags on the ground of Tehran’s coroner’s office, although it claims the dead were victims of “armed terrorists”.
Other video footage The Independent has seen includes the sound of continuous gunfire. Eyewitness accounts shared with activists’ Twitter accounts via Starlink describe widespread slaughter.
One person, reportedly speaking from the Narmak neighbourhood in the north-east of the capital, said the regime opened fire into crowds.
“I saw all the streets covered in bloodstains. They were washing the blood of this country’s children off the asphalt with high-pressure water after massacring them. There were bloodstains on all the city streets,” the unnamed person said.
Another added that mobile and landline calls are not working and that the regime is sending texts warning citizens not to leave their homes because “armed terrorists are out”. Shops are empty and food is running out.
Beijing opposes potential US strikes in Iran, says Foreign Ministry
08:08 , Alex CroftThe Chinese Foreign Ministry has held a press conference in which it discussed the ongoing situation in Iran - specifically Donald Trump’s threats to strike the country.
"We have always opposed interference in other countries' internal affairs and consistently advocated that the sovereignty and security of all nations should be fully protected by international law," spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing.
Beijing has a deep and enduring relationship with Iran, both economically and in its political alignment against the West.
Tehran says situation 'under total control'
07:46 , Alex CroftWe’re hearing more from Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who has said the situation in Iran is “under total control” after the protests over the weekend.
Araghchi said Donald Trump's warning against Tehran of action - should protests turn bloody - motivated "terrorists" to target protesters and security forces in order to invite foreign intervention.
Breaking: Internet to be restored, says Iranian foreign minister
07:34 , Alex CroftIran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has just said that internet service will be restored in Iran, in coordination with security authorities.
It is not yet clear what the time frame on this restoration will be, but by restoring the internet, a much clearer picture of what has taken place in the past week is likely to emerge.
Araghchi also said that Tehran is “ready for war but also for dialogue”, appearing to refer to Donald Trump, who has threatened “very strong” military options and claimed that Iran wants to hold talks with Washington.
Stay with us throughout the day for all the latest.
Donald Trump says Iran wants to talk
07:25 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown targeting demonstrators.
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 who were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The military is looking at it, and we're looking at some very strong options," Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.
Asked about Iran's threats of retaliation, he said: "If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they've never been hit before."
Trump said his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
"I think they're tired of being beat up by the United States," Trump said. "Iran wants to negotiate.
"The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what's happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate."
There was no immediate acknowledgement from Iran of the offering for a meeting. The massive ongoing US military deployment to the Caribbean is a factor that the Pentagon and Trump's national security planners must consider.
Tehran also warned that the US military and Israel would be "legitimate targets" if America uses force to protect demonstrators. Trump meanwhile said the Islamic Republic reached out and proposed negotiations.
Over 10,000 protesters detained in Iran, says rights group
07:05 , Namita SinghMore than 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and has also maintained a running death toll.
It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult.
Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran's security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country's capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
What is happening in Iran?
06:45 , Namita SinghBuildings, buses and shops have been burned to the ground, turning Iran’s capital Tehran into a “war zone” as protests demanding the fall of the country’s supreme leader grow.
At least 500 people have been killed in clashes with police and more than 10,000 arrested, according to rights groups, who say the toll could be greater since Ayatollah Ali Khameini’s regime has cut off the outside world with a near-total internet blackout.
This unrest follows a tumultuous period for the regime, which is still recovering from a heavy 12-day conflict in June, initiated by Israel, that saw US forces bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, report my colleagues Maira Butt & James C. Reynolds.
What is happening in Iran? Internet blackout and Israel blamed after mass protests
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
06:25 , Namita SinghA chaotic scene unfolded in Los Angeles on Sunday after a man drove a U-Haul truck into a crowd protesting against the Iranian government, police say.
The incident happened around 3:30pm local time near the federal building in the Westwood neighborhood of the city, ABC7 reports.
Footage from the incident shows protestors trying to pull the suspect out of his vehicle after the collision, according to The LA Times. The protestors continued to lash out at the suspect as police escorted him away.
Report:
Man drives U-Haul into crowd protesting against Iranian government in LA: cops
Video: Trump says U.S. mulling 'some very strong options' on Iran as protest death toll rises
06:05 , Namita SinghDeath toll in Iran mounts as UK calls for Ayatollah’s regime to show restraint
05:45 , Namita SinghThe death toll in Iran mounted as protests continued to be brutally suppressed while the UK government called for the Tehran regime to show restraint.
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands detained in the uprising against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule.In London, protesters returned to Iran’s embassy, toppling the flagpole outside the building.
It is the second day running the Iranian flag has been targeted at the embassy – on Saturday a protester scaled the front of the building to replace the flag with the pre-Islamic revolution lion and sun standard.
Report:
Death toll in Iran mounts as UK calls for Ayatollah’s regime to show restraint
In pictures: People rally around the world in support of protests in Iran
05:25 , Namita Singh Analysis: What next for Iran as its regime faces gravest existential threat
05:05 , Namita SinghAfter a disastrous 12-day war with Israel last year and diminished support from its allies, Iran’s leaders have resorted to brutal violence to crush a mass uprising that is only going to get more bloody, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew
Iran’s regime is facing its gravest threat: here’s why - and what happens next
Trump says Iran wants to negotiate
04:45 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump said Iran reached out to the US and proposed negotiations after he threatened action over a crackdown on protesters.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as the death toll in Iran mounts and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they're tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. He added: “Iran wants to negotiate.”
A timeline of Iran's growing protest movement
04:25 , Namita Singh28 December: Protests break out in two major markets in downtown Tehran, after the Iranian rial plunged to a new record low.
29 December: The central bank head resigns as the protests spread and police fire tear gas at protesters.
30 December: President Masoud Pezeshkian vows to work with business leaders to hear their demands as university campuses join protests.
31 December: Protests in Fasa allegedly turn violent after crowds break into the governor’s office.
1 January: The protests' first fatalities are officially reported, with authorities saying at least seven people have been killed.
2 January: Trump threatens Iran if it kills peaceful protesters.
3 January: Khamenei greenlights security forces in crackdown. Protests reach 170 locations with 15 dead.
8 January: The government blocks the internet after Reza Pahlavi calls on citizens to act.
9 January: Iran ramps up threats of punishment with 65 reported killed and 2,300 detained.
11 January: Iran’s parliament speaker threatens to strike US military bases in the region if Trump attacks, as rights groups say 538 people have now been killed. HRANA reports arrests have surpassed 10,000.
Trump says he will talk to Musk about restoring internet in Iran
04:05 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities have blacked out services for four days amid ongoing anti-government protests.
"He's very good at that kind of thing, he's got a very good company," Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk's SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.
Musk and SpaceX did not immediately comment on Trump’s remarks.
The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday amid the most expansive protests against the country's clerical establishment since 2022.
Deaths from Iran protests reach more than 500, rights group says
03:45 , Namita SinghUnrest in Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said on Sunday, as Tehran threatened to target US military bases if president Donald Trump carries out his renewed threats to intervene on behalf of protesters.
With the Islamic Republic's clerical establishment facing the biggest demonstrations since 2022, Trump has repeatedly threatened to get involved if force is used on protesters.
According to its latest figures - from activists inside and outside Iran - US-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest.
Iran has not given an official toll and Reuters was unable to independently verify the tallies.
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
03:30 , Namita SinghLos Angeles police responded on Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.
The U-Haul truck, with a window and side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver's side window.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained "pending further investigation," police said in a statement Sunday evening.
The police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt. Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Several hundred people, some waving the flag of Iran, had gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA's Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5pm only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran's capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again on Sunday.
Watch: Iran parliament speaker threatens Trump with retaliation
03:15 , Dan HaygarthFootage from Saturday showed large crowds in Tehran
03:00 , Dan HaygarthThe flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday.
Footage posted on social media on Saturday from Tehran showed large crowds marching at night, clapping and chanting. The crowd "has no end nor beginning," a man is heard saying.
Footage from the northeastern city of Mashhad showed smoke billowing into the night sky from fires in the street, masked protesters and a road strewn with debris, another video posted on Saturday showed.
Explosions could be heard.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was shocked by reports of violence by the Iranian authorities and urged maximum restraint.
"The rights to freedom of expression, association & peaceful assembly must be fully respected & protected," he said on X on Sunday.
Trump says US are looking at 'very strong options'
02:39 , Andrew GeorgesonTrump told reporters that he was getting “hourly” updates on the situation in Iran during a press huddle on Air Force One Sunday night.
“We’re looking at some very strong options,” he said, adding that Iran was “starting” to cross his red line, according to the New York Times.
Trump to be briefed by senior officials this week as his considers his options
02:14 , Dan HaygarthPresident Donald Trump is set to be briefed this week by senior administration officials on his options to respond to widespread anti-government protests in Iran, according to a report.
Trump will be briefed Tuesday on specific routes of response to the protests, suggesting that he is considering reprimanding the regime for cracking down on demonstrators, as he has previously warned he would do, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
The president will meet with senior administration officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine to weigh the options, which include boosting anti-government sources online, utilizing secret cyber weapons, and placing more sanctions on the regime and military strikes, according to the report.
The Independent view: Regime change in Iran would be welcome
01:30 , Daniel HaygarthEditorial: Iran’s unremittingly harsh leadership faces one of the most serious challenges to its theocratic rule since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979.
After weeks of nationwide protests, the ayatollahs’ spell could soon be broken – which is how counter-revolutions begin, and governments fall
Read the full article: Regime change in Iran would be welcome
Recap: Trump warns Iran 'we’re going to hit very hard’ if protesters are targeted
00:45 , Dan HaygarthUN Secretary General 'Shocked by reports of violence and excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities '
00:45 , Dan HaygarthShocked by reports of violence & excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters resulting in deaths & injuries in recent days.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) January 11, 2026
The rights to freedom of expression, association & peaceful assembly must be fully respected & protected.
I urge the Iranian…
Rand Paul says bombing Iran will help regime as Trump considers strikes
00:12 , Dan HaygarthA Republican US senator who has frequently broken with the president on issues of foreign policy and government spending warned Donald Trump against invading or launching strikes in Iran on Sunday after the president released several statements on Truth Social indicating that he was considering supporting protests within the country with military or other assistance.
Sen. Rand Paul spoke on ABC’s This Week as it was reported that the president was briefed in recent days on options for military strikes within the country. It isn’t clear what the administration’s target or goal for military action would be if strikes were to be authorized by the president.
Paul told ABC that while the protests, which are now nearing a third week, are a sign that many Iranians are tired to living under the current regime, there isn’t enough evidence that they were calling for or wanted U.S. intervention of any kind.
"I don't think it's the job of the American government to be involved with every freedom movement around the world," Paul told ABC’s Martha Raddatz. "I think the protests are directed at the Ayatollah, justifiably so, and the best way is to encourage them and say that, of course, we would recognize a government that is a freedom-loving government that allows free elections. But bombing is not the answer.”
“[W]hen you bomb a country, then people tend to rally around their own flag,” Paul said. “They tend to see this as the — you know, a foreign country coming in and bombing us. And so, I don't think it always has that [intended] effect.”
Fatalities rise to 544 people, says news agency
00:00 , Dan HaygarthAccording to the latest date from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the number of confirmed fatalities had risen to 544 people.
It added that more than 10,681 individuals have also been transferred to prisons following arrest.
The agency said Protests have taken place at 585 locations across the country, in 186 cities, spanning all 31 provinces.
Patel: Tehran 'cannot stop the will of the Iranian people'
Sunday 11 January 2026 23:15 , Daniel HaygarthUK shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “As Iran’s violent and repressive regime continues their senseless brutally against courageous unarmed Iranians, the despots of Tehran must know they cannot stop the will of the Iranian people in their fight for freedom.”
Foreign Office rejects reports UK ambassador summoned
Sunday 11 January 2026 22:52 , Dan HaygarthThe Foreign Office has rejected reports from Iran that the UK’s ambassador in Tehran Hugo Shorter was summoned over the flag incident, with sources insisting he merely “had a meeting” at the Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street to call for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be banned as a terrorist organisation – a call which has support from senior figures in Parliament including Labour peer Lord Spellar and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said there was a “very thorough process” that was necessary before decisions about proscription could be made by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
She said: “As a government, we keep those decisions about the proscription of organisations under constant review and I have no doubt that Shabana Mahmood is doing that at the moment.”
Ms Alexander said the UK’s priority was to “stem the violence”.
Rally in London in support of Iran protests
Sunday 11 January 2026 22:50 , Dan HaygarthFashion student, 23, ‘shot dead in back of the head’ in Iran protests
Sunday 11 January 2026 22:02 , Dan HaygarthA 23-year-old student was shot dead at close range after joining mass anti-government protests in Iran, according to a human rights group, as the regime continues its crackdown on demonstrations.
According to the Iran Human Rights group, Rubina Aminian, 23, was killed on 8 January after leaving Shariati College in Tehran, the nation’s capital, and joining protest gatherings.
Sources close to her family told Norway-based Iran Human Rights that Ms Aminian, who was a student of textile and fashion design, was shot from behind at close range, with the bullet striking her head.
Full article: Fashion student, 23, ‘shot dead in back of the head’ in Iran protests
Head of Iran police warns force to respond 'decisively, swiftly and forcefully' to 'violent rioters'
Sunday 11 January 2026 21:45 , Dan HaygarthRecap: Death toll has surpassed 500, rights group says
Sunday 11 January 2026 20:34 , Dan HaygarthMore than 500 people have died since protests began in Iran, a rights group said on Sunday, as Tehran threatened to target U.S. military bases if President Donald Trump carries out threats to intervene on behalf of protesters.
With the Islamic Republic's clerical establishment facing the biggest demonstrations since 2022, Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if force is used on protesters.
According to its latest figures - from activists inside and outside Iran - U.S.-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest.
Iran has not given an official toll.
UK wants a “peaceful transition” of power in Iran
Sunday 11 January 2026 20:00 , Dan HaygarthThe UK wants to see a “peaceful transition” of power in Iran, a Cabinet minister said as the Tehran regime continued to violently crack down on protests.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the UK’s priority was to “stem the violence”.
She told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “The British Government has always viewed Iran as a hostile state.
“We know that they pose a security threat in the Middle East and beyond and we know that they have been a repressive regime in terms of their own population.
“And so I think the priority, as of today, is to try and stem the violence that is happening in Iran at the moment.”
Badenoch indicates she would support RAF involvement if necessary.
Sunday 11 January 2026 19:45 , Dan HaygarthTory leader Kemi Badenoch said it would be right for the US to help oust the Islamic Republic’s leadership in Iran and indicated she would support RAF involvement if necessary.
She told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “You’ve seen the recent RAF strikes, for instance, in Syria. Without over speculating – we are talking about hypothetical situations – we have worked in alliance with other countries.
“I think this has to be something that we do with a broad coalition of countries. That is the right way to do it, and to make sure that we create a stable Iran.
“The worst possible thing would be for this to escalate to a point where the situation gets worse, not better.”
A timeline of Iran's growing protest movement
Sunday 11 January 2026 19:30 , James ReynoldsDec. 28: Protests break out in two major markets in downtown Tehran, after the Iranian rial plunged to a new record low.
Dec. 29: The central bank head resigns as the protests spread and police fire tear gas at protesters.
Dec. 30: President Masoud Pezeshkian vows to work with business leaders to hear their demands as university campuses join protests.
Dec. 31: Protests in Fasa allegedly turn violent after crowds break into the governor’s office.
Jan. 1: The protests' first fatalities are officially reported, with authorities saying at least seven people have been killed.
Jan. 2: Trump threatens Iran if it kills peaceful protesters.
Jan. 3: Khamenei greenlights security forces in crackdown. Protests reach 170 locations with 15 dead.
Jan. 8: The government blocks the internet after Reza Pahlavi calls on citizens to act.
Jan. 9: Iran ramps up threats of punishment with 65 reported killed and 2,300 detained.
Jan. 11: Iran’s parliament speaker threatens to strike US military bases in the region if Trump attacks, as rights groups say 538 people have now been killed. HRANA reports arrests have surpassed 10,000.
Trump to be briefed on his options this week
Sunday 11 January 2026 19:15 , Dan HaygarthPresident Donald Trump is set to be briefed this week by senior administration officials on his options to respond to widespread anti-government protests in Iran, according to a report.
Trump will be briefed Tuesday on specific routes of response to the protests, suggesting that he is considering reprimanding the regime for cracking down on demonstrators, as he has previously warned he would do, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
The president will meet with senior administration officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine to weigh the options, which include boosting anti-government sources online, utilizing secret cyber weapons, and placing more sanctions on the regime and military strikes, according to the report.
Read the full article: Trump will hear Iran options from senior aides including Rubio and Hegseth this week: Report
Iran threatens to hit US military targets if Trump decides to strike over protests
Sunday 11 January 2026 19:00 , Dan HaygarthIran has threatened to hit US military targets if Donald Trump launches strikes over the country’s growing protests.
The US president warned the ayatollah’s regime this week that the United States would “hit them hard” if protesters were killed, and is understood to be weighing up options for action within days.
Hundreds of people have now been killed on Iran’s streets as nationwide protests in 185 cities across all 31 provinces calling for an end to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule continue to grow.
But as international pressure on Iran mounts, Tehran escalated the crisis on Sunday by claiming it was ready to launch preemptive strikes against Israeli and US bases in the region.
“In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centres, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said.
Read the full article: Iran threatens to hit US military targets if Trump decides to strike over protests
ICYMI: Iran parliament speaker threatens 'delusional' Trump with retaliation
Sunday 11 January 2026 18:30 , James ReynoldsAnalysis: Iran’s regime is facing its gravest existential threat: here’s why - and what happens next
Sunday 11 January 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsAfter a disastrous 12-day war with Israel last year and diminished support from its allies, Iran’s leaders have resorted to brutal violence to crush a mass uprising which is only going to get more bloody, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew:
Iran’s regime is facing its gravest threat: here’s why - and what happens next
Fall of regime would mean the end of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, says US ambassador to Israel
Sunday 11 January 2026 17:30 , James ReynoldsMike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said the end of the regime in Iran would also spell the end of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
“Should the Iranian people choose to end over 46 yrs of hateful & incompetent rule, it could restore the Persian culture of education, art, music, and strength and the end of Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis,” he posted on X this afternoon.
Death toll passes 500, according to US-based monitor
Sunday 11 January 2026 17:04 , James ReynoldsUS-based rights group HRANA is now reporting that 10,600 people have been arrested, according to the latest tallies.
It records that 538 people have been killed in the unrest, up from 116 yesterday. That figure is said to include 490 protesters and 48 security personnel.
They note that sourcing reliable information has been made difficult by the ongoing internet blackouts.
In pictures: Protesters return to demonstrate in London
Sunday 11 January 2026 17:00 , James Reynolds Pentagon hasn't moved troops, officials say
Sunday 11 January 2026 16:39 , James ReynoldsUS officials also told the WSJ that the Pentagon has not yet moved any US troops as Trump weighs potential military action against Iran.
A meeting to discuss options is expected on Tuesday, officials told the paper. Expected to attend are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine.
Trump is not expected to give a final decision on what to do at Tuesday’s meeting, with discussions still apparently in ‘early stages’.
Trump to be briefed on Iran options this week
Sunday 11 January 2026 16:21 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump will be briefed on his options for Iran on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.
The outlet says the president will be briefed on ‘specific options to respond to the protests’, citing US officials.
Sources told the newspaper that options being considered now include:
- Boosting antigovernment sources online;
- Deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites;
- Placing more sanctions on the regime;
- Military strikes.
Qalibaf threatened US troops last week
Sunday 11 January 2026 16:16 , James ReynoldsThe parliamentary speaker in Iran who threatened US bases in an address on Sunday was also sabre-rattling on X last week.
Former IRGC commander Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said today that the US military and Israel would be "legitimate targets" if America strikes Iran.
On January 2, he posted on social media that “the disrespectful President of America should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism”.
IDF ready to respond to Iranian attacks
Sunday 11 January 2026 16:07 , James ReynoldsThe Times of Israel reported today that the IDF’s chief of staff held situational assessments on Iran this weekend.
The military was said to be staying operationally prepared to respond if needed - but was treating the anti-regime protests as an internal Iranian affair for now.
BREAKING: Death toll soars to 466, says rights group
Sunday 11 January 2026 15:33 , James ReynoldsIran-focused rights group HRANA is now reporting the death toll has risen to 466.
Yesterday, the US-based NGO put the tally at 116. On Friday, it had recorded 65.