On Monday, President Donald Trump convened with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evaluate potential strategies for involvement in Iran. This meeting comes amid escalating tensions within the country, following a series of protests that erupted due to a severe economic downturn.

The unrest has tragically resulted in the death of over 500 individuals, sparking international concern. Last week, President Trump issued a stern warning, indicating possible intervention should any further harm befall the demonstrators.

In a notable development over the weekend, Iranian officials reached out to the U.S. administration, expressing a willingness to engage in new discussions regarding their nuclear program. The president shared this update with reporters aboard Air Force One, highlighting a potential diplomatic path forward.

However, President Trump emphasized that military action remains on the table, should the situation worsen significantly before diplomatic efforts can commence. “A meeting is being set up,” he informed the press, but added a cautionary note, stating, “We may have to act before a meeting.”

‘A meeting is being set up,’ Trump told reporters, but warned, ‘We may have to act before a meeting.’

Trump confirmed he is receiving hourly intelligence updates as the administration weighs its next move. 

Verified video evidence from Sunday shows citizens gathered at the Kahrizak Forensic Centre in Tehran. The footage depicts people standing over long rows of dark body bags.

Since the nationwide demonstrations began on December 28, the US-based human rights organization HRANA reports it has confirmed 544 fatalities. 

Donald Trump takes questions from the members of the press aboard Air Force One en route back to the White House on January 11

Bodies lie in body bags on the ground as people stand amid the scene outside Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre in Tehran, Iran, in this screen capture from a video obtained from social media, January 11

This total reportedly makes up 496 protesters and 48 security officers. The group also notes that 10,681 people have been taken into custody as the unrest has spread across Iran.

Iran hasn’t given an official death toll, but put the blame squarely on ‘Israeli-US interference.’

Iran’s state-run media coverage has so far been on the deaths of its security forces.

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

This wave of protests was ignited by an economic implosion that saw the Iranian Rial plunge to a historic low of 1.45 million per US dollar, essentially making their currency near worthless and driving inflation higher than 70%.

This all comes six months after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities during operation ‘Midnight Hammer’ in June 2025.

The Trump administration claimed that this dismantled a significant amount of the regimes nuclear capabilities at their sites Fordow and Natanz.

The Daily Mail spoke with a few Iranians inside the country during the internet blackout. 

Protestors burn images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally held in Solidarity with Iran’s Uprising, organised by The national Council of Resistance of Iran, on Whitehall in central London

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran

Iranian women lighting her cigarette with a burning photo of Iran’s Supreme leader 

Conversations with Iranians during the blackout protests in Iran

Some Iranians were able to connect to the internet through Starlink or other methods for a few minutes

‘The regime is using real guns and bullets… my friend got shot in the stomach. We are hoping for US and Israeli intervention. Without them we cannot succeed,’ an Iranian protestor added

Some were able to connect to the internet through Starlink or other methods for a few minutes.

‘People are fighting on the street with the lion and sun flag. Javid Shah, long live the king, is the main slogan. Hopefully this is the last time,’ one Iranian protestor explained.

‘The regime is using real guns and bullets… my friend got shot in the stomach. We are hoping for US and Israeli intervention. Without them we cannot succeed,’ he added.

Another Iranian tells the Daily Mail that people are being killed with or without weapons. ‘They shut the internet down so that the world can’t see their brutality. We are being murdered by our own government,’ one texted.

Mohammad Ghalibaf, Iran’s speaker of Parliament, put out a statement Sunday saying that any US military action will result in a retaliatory response from Iran.

‘If the United States takes military action, both the occupied territories and US military and shipping lanes will be our legitimate targets,’ Ghalibaf said. ‘Both US and Israeli military bases could be targets,’ he added.

In an effort to reshape the narrative surrounding the recent violence, the Iranian government has declared three days of state-mandated mourning. 

According to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency, the tribute is dedicated to those purportedly slain by ‘urban terrorist criminals’—a designation likely used by the state to describe security personnel killed during the ongoing clashes with protesters.