US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s top officials had reached out to him to seek talks, following his repeated warnings that Washington could intervene militarily if Iranian authorities continued killing protesters.

Iran has been gripped by widespread unrest for nearly two weeks, with demonstrations continuing despite a violent crackdown that human rights organizations say has turned into a “massacre.”

What began as protests over rising living costs has since grown into a major political challenge to Iran’s ruling theocratic system, established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Although Iran imposed a prolonged internet blackout, information has continued to emerge, including videos from Tehran and other cities over the past several nights showing large crowds on the streets.

As reports of mounting deaths surfaced — including disturbing images of bodies outside a morgue — Trump said Tehran had signaled openness to dialogue.

“Yesterday, the leaders of Iran contacted me,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that “plans are underway for a meeting… They want to negotiate.”

However, he cautioned that “action may be required before any meeting takes place.”

The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said it had received credible eyewitness testimony suggesting that hundreds of demonstrators have been killed during the internet shutdown.

“What we are seeing is a massacre,” the group said.

Iran Human Rights, an Oslo-based organization, confirmed at least 192 deaths but warned the real number could be far higher.

“Unconfirmed information points to several hundred deaths, and some sources suggest the toll may exceed 2,000,” the group said.

More than 2,600 protesters are believed to have been arrested, according to IHR estimates.

Footage shared online on Sunday showed dozens of bodies gathered outside a morgue south of Tehran. AFP geolocated the video to Kahrizak, where bodies wrapped in black bags appeared to be examined by grieving relatives.

City at a standstill
An AFP correspondent in Tehran described the capital as nearly paralyzed. Meat prices have almost doubled since the unrest began, many businesses have shut down, and those that remain open often close by late afternoon as security forces deploy across the city.

Fewer protest videos circulated online Sunday, though it was unclear whether this reflected fewer demonstrations or continued internet restrictions.

One widely shared clip showed crowds once again gathering in Tehran’s Pounak district, chanting slogans supporting the former monarchy.

The unrest represents one of the most serious challenges faced by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, especially following Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran in June, which was backed by the United States.

State television has aired images of damaged buildings, including a mosque, along with funerals for security personnel. After several days of unrest, official media sought to project a return to calm, showing footage of normal traffic flows. Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian claimed on TV that protests were “declining.”

The Iranian government announced three days of national mourning for those it called “martyrs,” including members of the security forces. President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens to participate in a “national resistance march” on Monday.

Responding to Trump’s threats, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that US military forces and commercial shipping would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington intervened.

‘Choose the people’
Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s deposed shah and now based in the United States, said he was ready to return to Iran and help lead a democratic transition.

“I’m already preparing for that,” he told Fox News.

He later called on security forces and public sector employees to side with protesters.

“They can either stand with the people and become part of the nation’s future, or be complicit in the killing of their fellow citizens,” he wrote online.

Pahlavi also encouraged demonstrators abroad to replace the flags flying over Iranian embassies with Iran’s pre-revolution national flag — a symbol that has become prominent at solidarity rallies worldwide.

Over the weekend, protesters in London briefly replaced the Iranian embassy’s flag with the tricolor used during the reign of the last shah.