Iran, Trump: '25% US tariffs on anyone trading with Tehran'

Non-essential diplomatic staff of the French embassy in Tehran have left Iranian territorybecause of the ongoing unrest in the country. This was reported by two sources quoted by Afp. The employees left Iran in two groups on Sunday and Monday, the sources said, without specifying the exact number.

Donald Trump "has shown that he is not afraid to use military options" when deemed necessary. This was said by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, speaking to reporters. "Nobody knows this better than Iran," she added.

"The killings and brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran are horrific," wrote British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in a message posted on X. Cooper added that she had spoken to her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, urging him to 'immediately cease violence, respect fundamental rights and freedoms and ensure the safety of British citizens'. Today, Iran summoned the ambassadors of Italy, Germany, France, and the UK, asking their respective governments 'to withdraw their official statements'.

"Some proposals have been discussed with Washington and are currently being studied by us". This was said by Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic. "The ideas and threats proposed by Washington against our country are incompatible," he said. Araghchi said Iran is ready to engage in nuclear talks with the US, "as long as this is done without threats or diktats". "We do not believe Washington is ready for fair and just negotiations, and when it is, we will seriously consider the issue," he added. "If Washington wants to test the military option already tried in the past, we are ready, he continued, referring to the bombings carried out on three nuclear sites in Iran over the summer. "We have a broader and more comprehensive military preparation than we had during the last war. We are prepared for all options and we hope that Washington will choose the wise option," he said.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, praised the pro-government rallies held in the Islamic Republic, speaking of a "historic day" and a "warning to American politicians", in reference to President Donald Trump. "These impressive rallies thwarted the plans of foreign enemies that were to be implemented through internal mercenaries," Khamenei said in a note, stressing that "the great nation of Iran showed its determination and identity in the face of its enemies. This was a warning to American politicians to cease their deceptions and refrain from relying on traitorous mercenaries." "The Iranian nation is strong and powerful, aware and able to recognise its enemies," the ayatollah concluded.

"President Trump is not Obama. His words of support for the protesters in Iran prove this. Now is the time for action. The president is a man of action and a man of peace. He can now act to bring about the greatest peace the world has ever seen: by helping the Iranians finally end this criminal regime'. So wrote in X Reza Pahlavi, the prince in exile in the United States, son of the last Shah of Persia. 'The regime is weak and in trouble. The people are ready to overthrow it. It does not need troops on the ground. All it needs is the action of the leader of the free world. Negotiating with this criminal regime that continues to threaten America and the president will not bring peace. But immediate action in support of these brave protesters will save thousands of lives and bring lasting peace to the region," he explains. 'This will be President Trump's legacy,' he concludes.

For more: Reza Pahlavi, the exiled prince at the centre of the ambiguities of Iran's future

Moscow condemns what it calls "attempts to interfere in Iran's internal affairs". This was said by the Secretary of Russia's National Security Council, Serghei Shoigu, in a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart,Ali Larijani, with whom he discussed the protests shaking the Islamic Republic.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed his solidarity with the anti-government protesters in Iran."Our hearts go out to the Iranian people who are courageously marching for their freedom at this time," the president said during a reception for Christian leaders in honour of the New Year. Haaretz writes. Herzog described the regime as the 'root of so much evil in the world' and added that he prays that 'all women and men may enjoy the same precious freedom that we are blessed with'.

"This wave of protests is different from previous ones, both in composition and political significance. Waves of protests in Iran have historically been driven by different demands: student demands (1999), electoral legitimacy (2009), economic hardship (2019-2020), and themoral shock over the murder of Mahsa Amini and the compulsory veil (2022). The current uprising is different because it reflects a convergence of these factors - economic collapse, political suffocation, ideological exhaustion and social anger - which reinforce each other'. This was stated to LaPresse Pierre Pahlavi, a professor at the Canadian Forces College, Defence Advisor to the Canadian government and grandson of the Shah of Persia. "A second, and important, difference concerns the question of leadership. The internal Iranian opposition has long been fragmented and without leadership. This time the revolt is increasingly being identified (rightly or wrongly) with Reza Pahlavi as a figurehead, which is important because revolutions often fail when there is no credible 'pole' unifying a broad coalition. Even if he is not physically present in the country, the symbolic function of a recognisable leading figure can be decisive in generating coherence between the different social groups and in designing an alternative to the regime,' Pierre Pahlavi notes. 'That said,the state retains a formidable coercive capacity: the Basij, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (with a great deal of experience in counterinsurgency) and sophisticated surveillance tools, including facial recognition capabilities, allegedly acquired through China. As long as these tools remain intact and coordinated, repression can still prevent protesters from reaching a critical mass'.

"After more than two weeks of nationwide unrest and a conservative estimate of around 200 deaths since the end of December 2025, the country seems to be approaching a decisive showdown. But it is uncertain whether this test will produce a collapse.Protests alone rarely overthrow an established security state. What is needed is a critical alignment of internal forces: disorganisation or fracture within the internal security apparatus, in particular the Basij and parts of the IRGC - if these forces remain cohesive, they can continue to repress and intimidate, discouraging prolonged mass mobilisation -; economic actors joining the political challenge, in particular the bazaars, who have historically played a key role as political arbiters; a change within the armed forces, and this is crucial. The Iranian regular army (Artesh) - about two-thirds of the total workforce - controls heavy vehicles (armoured, artillery, aircraft). In times of chaos, heavy armaments are important. In 1979, the monarchy collapsed when the army defected; a similar rupture today would radically alter the balance,' Pahlavi continues. 'This also raises a risk that many underestimate: a potential clash between the IRGC and the regular army. The likelihood of an open rift is difficult to assess, but cannot be ruled out. Behind the scenes, the generals of both structures are probably already assessing scenarios'.

The Iranian government has been 'weakened' by the protests of the past two weeks, but still remains capable of repressing dissent with 'cruelty'. This is claimed by Richard Moore, head of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 until last year, when asked about it by the Mirror online. According to Moore, 'it is significant' that the protest movement now has 'a wide geographical spread' in Iran and is present 'in every part of Tehran', in the face of 'a regime' that appears to him to be 'weaker than in the past, due to an accentuation of its incompetence'. The dispute, says the former number one of Her Majesty's 007s, "was initially fuelled by economic factors", as well as by tiredness from "the so-called 12 months of war" marked by the raids conducted by Israel and then also by the US in Iran last June. Moore therefore says he is convinced that the Islamic Republic has lost 'weight internationally' and is 'losing allies in the region'. He warns that 'nevertheless its potential for repression and cruelty is not exhausted'. And he predicts that it 'will be used to the full in an attempt to crush' the rebellion.

The death toll in the ongoing protests in Iran continues to rise. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), 572 people have been confirmed dead so far, although the actual figure could be significantly higher. According to the figures released, the victims include 503 protesters and 69 members of the security forces. The organisation, which has also been considered reliable in previous waves of protest in the country, makes its estimates through a network of supporters in Iran who verify the information. Hrana also reports that more than 10,600 people have been arrested since the start of the demonstrations, now in their third week.

For newspapers and regime television, nothing is happening. No protest demonstrations: the continuously broadcast images of quiet squares prove it. This is the behaviour of regimes in crisis: denying reality when it is happening. In 2003, the Information Minister of Saddam Hussein, later nicknamed 'Comical Ali', announced the defeat of the Americans while behind him pictures showed the entry of Marines into Baghdad.

But the Iran of today is not the Iraq of then. It is difficult to attempt comparisons to establish resilience or imminent collapse, when such a complex regime and country are clearly in crisis. Perhaps some Iranian similarities are possible with the events that took place at the beginning of this year: but only because Venezuela has become a paradigm of the present international chaos; and everything that Donald Trump does or threatens to do, are exportable hypotheses in every geopolitical chessboard, from the Caribbean to the Arctic, to the Strait of Hormuz.

From Jafar Panahi to Asghar Farhadi, 184 Iranian filmmakers signed a declaration of support for the Iranian people's protests and against repression. "We, the filmmakers of Iran, condemn the repression of popular protests under any pretext. Protest is a natural and civil right of every human being. No power has the right to place itself above the people. Shooting people who take to the streets with their bare hands is a crime against the right to life and has no justification,' reads the appeal entrusted in Italy to the association 100Autori. 'For almost half a century,' continues the statement by Iranian filmmakers, 'despite the immense natural and human resources of our beloved country, Iran, neither justice, nor welfare, nor security have been achieved. Organised corruption, looting of public wealth and an ideology based on fear have dragged people's lives into poverty, oppression and despair, while national resources have been dissipated in regional conflicts." "We, filmmakers, will recount these days and these wounds. We will defend with all our might the right to freedom of expression, we will condemn the repression and killing of protesters and stand by the Iranian people,' concludes the statement, which sees among the signatories, in addition to Panahi and Farhadi actresses and directors Pegah Ahangarani and Sohaila Golestani, actresses Leili Rashidi and Kayoun Riahi and directors and screenwriters Mohammad Rasoulof, Kianoush Ayari, Majid Barzegar and Safi Yazdanian.

The European Parliament is banning all Iranian diplomats and representatives from its premises. This was announced by President Roberta Metsola. "We cannot go on as if nothing has happened. While the brave Iranian people continue to defend their rights and freedom, today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all Europarliamentary premises," she wrote on X. 'This assembly will not help legitimise a regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder,' he added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi contacted White House envoy Steve Witkoff over the weekend, in the context of US President Donald Trump's threats to use military force against the regime in support of recent protests. This was indicated by Axios, which cites two sources with knowledge of the facts. The sources said this contact appeared to be an attempt by Iran to de-escalate with the US or at least to buy more time before Trump orders any actions to further weaken the regime.

This is the first sign that the direct channel of communication between Washington and Tehran is still open, despite the stalemate in the nuclear negotiations and the exchange of threats between the two countries. According to a source familiar with the facts, Araghchi and Witkoff discussed the possibility of having a meeting in the coming days. The sources did not confirm whether the contact took place by phone or through messages. The White House and State Department declined to comment on the matter.

"Trump talks about Tehran's readiness for talks, but it is a diversionary tactic of the regime, prepared last-minute to avoid American action in favour of the demonstrators. It is a deception tactic, the only alternative comes from the squares leading the revolt'. Thus to LaPresse Davood Karimi, president of the Association of Iranian political refugees in Italy.

The Speaker of Iran's Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, issued a warning to US President Donald Trump, saying that any possible attack will receive a strong response. "We have heard that you have threatened Iran, the defenders of Iran will teach you an unforgettable lesson," Qalibaf was quoted by Iran International as saying, citing state media. "All American centres and forces in the region will be our legitimate targets in response to any potential adventurism. Come and see how all your capabilities in the region will be wiped out," added the parliament speaker again, who had already threatened the US yesterday that in the event of an attack their forces and Israel would be legitimate targets. "Do not believe the lies you are being told," he said again addressing Trump directly.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, France and Germany in connection with their governments' support for protesters in the Islamic Republic, according to a report today by the Iranian news agency Tasnim.

Manifestanti anti-regime iraniano a Parigi (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

"Our policy is clear: regime change is not part of EU policies". This was stated by European Commission spokesman Anouar El Anouni during the daily press briefing, adding that EU support for Iranian civil society "is nothing new and we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to ensure freedom and dignity. As for the involvement of private companies, it is up to them to decide whether to intervene to help the Iranian people," he added, regarding Starlink's intervention to ensure connectivity in the country subject to an internet blackout decided by the authorities. "It is up to the Iranian people to decide who they want to be represented by," El Anouni replied to a question about possible contacts between the EU and Iranian exiles who are opponents of the regime, notably Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah who was deposed during Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. "We maintain regular relations with the Iranian authorities through the local EU presidency in Tehran, currently exercised by Cyprus in the absence of an EU delegation," he explains.

Iran will teach US President Donald Trump ''an unforgettable lesson'' if he decides to attack Tehran in support of the protesters. This was stated by the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, the Majles, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. ''If you have the courage come and see how we will destroy American positions in the region,'' he added addressing Trump, whom he called ''arrogant and delusional.'' Iran, he po stated, is fighting ''a war against terrorists''.

"Canada strongly condemns the continued killings of protesters in Iran." In a statement published on the social platform X, the Ottawa Foreign Ministry added: 'the Iranian regime must end its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens. Canada stands with the brave Iranian people'.

The European Union expresses 'full solidarity with the Iranian people' and condemns the use of force against protesters, opening the door to new sanctions. "We are ready to propose new and tougher sanctions after the violent repression," European Commission spokesman Anouar En Anouni explains at the daily press briefing, stressing that it will be up to the Member States to decide unanimously in the Council on the matter

In recent days, the ayatollahs' regime 'has crossed a new red line in its attempt to suppress the civil protest that has broken out in Iran, hitherto considered almost impossible. According to a series of reports from abroad, the regime has activated military jammers for the first time', electronic warfare devices designed to disrupt or block radio signals, radar and communication systems by emitting electromagnetic interference. This was reported by the Israeli media Ynet, recalling the blocking of the Starlink satellite network. The emergency connection - Ynet points out - collapsed within a few hours, with over 80% of traffic affected

There is also the story of Mehdi Zatparvar, a former world bodybuilding champion and coach, among the many that are emerging of protesters killed in protests in Iran. The man, reports the Norway-based human rights organisation Hengaw, was killed on Friday during protests in the city of Rasht, in the province of Gilan, north-western Iran. Zatparvar had taken to the streets with the yearning of many Iranians. In his last post on Instagram he had written: 'We only want our rights, the voice that has been stifled for forty years must be shouted,' according to the reformist organ IranWire. Her Instagram account has now been closed as part of the regime's Internet and social media blackout. The 39-year-old athlete was a two-time world champion in classic bodybuilding, according to the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation. Zatparvar had a master's degree in sports physiology and was widely regarded as an experienced coach in Gilan, Hengaw said

Iranian state TV broadcast images of demonstrations attended by hundreds of people in favour of the Islamic Republic in various cities of the country. While the internet has been blocked in the country for more than 84 hours and there have been two weeks of anti-government protests where NGOs report the killing of at least 544 people, the English-language version of Iranian state TV, Press TV, published live pictures on its X account showing hundreds of people marching with the flag of the Islamic Republic in cities such as Zahedan, Rasht, Ilam, Arak and in the northern province of Azerbaijan. Press TV described the participants in the pro-Islamic Republic demonstrations, showing images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as 'Iranians united against terrorism' and branded the anti-government protests as 'uprisings in Iran supported by the US and Israel'. According to the website of Iranian state TV, other pro-Islamic Republic demonstrations in various cities of the country, including Tehran, are scheduled at 2pm local time, 11.30am in Italy.

"At this moment it is difficult to say anything. We are watching the situation, the Iranian people, with a lot of attention and concern. I must note that this demonstration seems to have much broader characteristics than previous ones. The fact of a united reaction against the government is significant. I tried to contact, both by phone and via Whatsapp, some people in Iran, friends, even last night, and I had no response. So I also have some concerns about people I know'. Thus Giuseppe Zampini, president of the Italy-Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCII), reached by telephone by Adnkronos/Labitalia, on what is happening in Iran. "In the activity of the Chamber of Commerce -explains Zampini- the relationships that are created are never political relationships, there are relationships between men and women who represent and work in companies. I set out again this morning to see if we could contact these people but still nothing,' he concludes.

'Iran is a country where many worlds, many tensions converge and where several great powers of the world are converging. Tehran does not need any kind of external force'. This was said by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, speaking at a briefing at the Athenaeum in Madrid. According to the head of Iberian diplomacy, Iran 'is one of these points where the world order is being transformed'. "Right now everything is connected," Albares noted, in relation to the recent US military operation in Venezuela, Donald Trump's threat to annex Greenland, pressure on Cuba and the announcement that the US military is considering "very concrete actions" for Iran. On the ayatollahs' regime's repression of protests in the country, where more than 500 people have died, the minister appealed for 'an end to violence against protesters, to arbitrary arrests'. "Communication contact must be re-established and, above all, contact via the internet," said Albares, pointing out that "freedom to free communication is also a fundamental right of every human being". For Madrid, external interference in Iran is not the solution: "For many years, both Spain and the EU institutions have favoured the path of negotiation for Iran, both on the nuclear dossier and in any other dossier," Albares pointed out. "The use of external force on Iran or any other country can only bring more chaos. Peace, democracy and respect for human rights never come from external pressure but always through dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation,' he concluded.

Iranian police are sending text messages to Tehran residents warning parents to keep their children away from 'rioters'. Al-Jazeera writes that. "Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals at some of last night's rallies and their plans to cause casualties, and the firm decision not to tolerate any appeasement attitude and to deal firmly with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youngsters and teenagers," the messages read.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry says communication channels with an American emissary are 'open'. Donald Trump said in the night that Iran had asked for negotiations and that a meeting was being prepared. "This channel of communication between our foreign minister (Abbas Araghchi) and the US president's special envoy is open," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a commentary broadcast on state television.

The protests that broke out in Tehran on 28 December and quickly spread throughout Iran were triggered by a specific claim: the collapse of the national currency, the rial. Currency devaluation in Iran is never merely a technical matter; it rapidly raises prices and reduces purchasing power, especially considering that many wages are set on an annual basis. In December, while the value of the rial fell by 16% - an overall decline of about 84% over the past year - food inflation reached an annual rate of 72%, almost double its recent average.

The US is preparing for possible cyber attacks against Iran in response to Tehran's crackdown on anti-government protesters. The Telegraph writes this, citing US officials who claim that cyber operations are underway to punish the Iranian leadership for its violence against protesters.

The nationwide Internet shutdown by the Iranian regime during the protests remains in place and has now lasted for more than 84 hours, says the Netblocks network observatory. Netblocks suggests that activists are trying to find a way to use shortwave radio, cellular towers at the borders, Starlink terminals or cell-bound satellites to circumvent the blockade, which activists say serves to obscure the ongoing crackdown on protests.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Iran's use of 'disproportionate and brutal violence' against protesters was 'a sign of weakness'.

"We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms," Merz said during a visit to India. "This violence is not an expression of strength, but rather a sign of weakness. This violence must stop,' the German Chancellor stressed, as reported by Afp.

Iran 'does not seek war but is fully prepared for war', and is ready for negotiations based on 'mutual respect'. This was stated by Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi at a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran broadcast on state TV. "We are also ready for negotiations, but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect."

"I am ready to propose further sanctions in response to the brutal repression of protesters by the regime". This was emphasised by EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas in statements sent to Politico and the German daily Die Welt regarding the ongoing protests in Iran. "The regime has a long tradition of suppressing protests and we are seeing a heavy-handed response from the security forces. Citizens are fighting for a future that is chosen by them and they risk everything to make themselves heard,' Kallas explained. The president of the Commission, in the past few hours, seemed to have a more cautious attitude towards the possibility of new sanctions against the Pasdaran, merely explaining that the Commission is 'monitoring' the situation in Iran.

China has expressed its full 'opposition' to 'foreign interference' in Iran, which has been affected by mass anti-regime protests for days, while urging that the Asian country can return to a phase of 'peace'. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, after US President Donald Trump reported that the US military is considering "very concrete options" against Tehran, added in the daily briefing that Beijing urges "all parties involved to make more efforts capable of bringing about peace and stability in the Middle East".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claims that nationwide protests 'have turned violent and bloody to provide an excuse' for Trump to intervene. Al-Jazeera writes this. He told a meeting with foreign diplomats that the violence increased over the weekend, but that 'the situation is now under total control'. Araghchi said the Internet will soon be restored in Iran, adding that the government is coordinating with security authorities to make progress in this regard. Connectivity, he said, will also be restored to embassies and ministries.

Protests in Iran have claimed over 500 lives, according to a count updated late yesterday evening by a human rights organisation.

According to the latest figures released by HRANA, a US-based group that relies on information gathered from activists inside and outside Iran, at least 490 protesters were documented killed and 48 members of the security forces, while more than 10,600 people were reportedly arrested in a fortnight of riots. The Iranian authorities did not provide an official tally and the figures have not been independently verified.

Iran, grappling with bloody protests and tensions with the US, approached US President Donald Trump on Saturday to negotiate. This was revealed to reporters on the presidential plane by Trump himself.

"They called yesterday to negotiate," Trump said late last night, Washington time. "The Iranian leaders want to negotiate," the US president continued, as reported by CNN. "I think they are tired of being battered by the US. Iran wants to negotiate with us."

US President Donald Trump is expected to assist Iranians protesting across the country against the Islamic Republic's regime, according to several sources familiar with the details of discussions held in recent days told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday. "Trump has basically decided to help the protesters in Iran. What he has not yet decided is the 'how' and 'when'," they said. "The spectrum ranges from a military option, i.e. attacks against regime targets, to cyber support against the regime, to providing Starlink systems to help the protesters," a source told the Post. "While the Trump administration does not believe the Iranian regime is collapsing, it certainly sees problems and cracks that did not exist a week ago," the source added.

The US-based NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) stated in its latest statement this evening that the death toll in Iran had reached 544, but also said it had received 579 more reports of deaths, which are still being investigated. Of the victims reported so far, 483 were protesters, while 47 were members of the Iranian army or security forces. A total of eight children were also killed. The number of people arrested so far now stands at 10,681.

Donald Trump says the US military is considering 'very concrete options' for Iran. On Tuesday, the US president will meet at the White House with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine