Iran protest death toll reaches 646 as Trump orders tariffs, cites diplomacy

The death toll — which the agency said included 512 protesters and 134 security force members — came as the Trump administration weighed military options including cyberattacks and direct strikes, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. More than 10,700 people had also been detained over the two weeks of unrest, the agency said.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on all countries doing business with Iran on Monday and said Tehran has privately sought talks with Washington, as the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 646 people had been killed in two weeks of protests against the Iranian government.

The tariff announcement, which Trump posted on social media and described as “effective immediately,” targets Iran’s major trading partners, including Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The White House declined to offer further comment about the announcement.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, said the protest situation was “under total control” and that Iran was “open to diplomacy,” in remarks carried by Al Jazeera. Araghchi blamed the United States and Israel for the violence without offering evidence, saying the demonstrations had “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said a diplomatic channel to Washington remained open, but that any talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”

Death toll and detentions

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which the Associated Press described as having been accurate in previous episodes of unrest in recent years, said 512 of the 646 dead were protesters and 134 were security force members. More than 10,700 people had also been detained over two weeks of demonstrations, the agency said. It relies on supporters inside Iran who cross-check information.

The Associated Press said it was unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty.

White House signals and military options

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.

“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran, including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. Asked about potential Iranian retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Diplomatic signals through Oman

The foreign minister of Oman — which has long served as an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran over the weekend, the AP reported. Iran had no direct reaction to Trump’s comments about wanting to negotiate, and what Iran could offer in any talks remains unclear, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran has said is essential for its national defense.

Trump said Sunday that 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 mount.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned on Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.

Pro-government demonstrations

Pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities Monday in a show of support for the government, with Iranian state television airing the event. The crowd appeared to number in the tens of thousands, according to the AP. State television described the rally as an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying economic grievances that helped fuel the unrest.

Background: rial collapse and communications blackout

The protests began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial, which trades at more than 1.4 million to the dollar, as Iran’s economy remains squeezed by international sanctions linked in part to its nuclear program. Demonstrations have since grown into calls directly challenging the theocracy led by 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

With internet service and phone lines cut across Iran, monitoring the demonstrations from abroad has grown difficult. A witness in Tehran told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing security operations, that streets were empty at nightly prayer times. Police sent text messages warning the public about “terrorist groups and armed individuals” at gatherings and urging families to keep their children at home.