Riots in Iran: Moscow's first reaction / Khamenei announces massive pro-regime demonstrations, a “warning to the US” / What will Trump do? White House announcement

Russia on Monday condemned “attempts by foreign powers” to intervene in Iran after the United States threatened to get involved amid a bloody crackdown on protests in the Islamic Republic. US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss future US actions against Iran. According to the White House, launching airstrikes is still an option. The regime in Tehran is now trying to regain control, bringing thousands of supporters to the streets after cutting off the internet completely five days ago.

For more than two weeks, the Islamic Republic has faced one of the largest protest movements since its proclamation in 1979, and US President Donald Trump has threatened to get involved if force is used against the protesters. But the regime in Tehran again chose the variant of the bloody repression of the demonstrations, with hundreds of people being killed and thousands more imprisoned.

11:15 p.m

Air strikes, still an option

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is considering airstrikes in Iran to end the repression of the demonstrations that have rocked the Islamic Republic since December 28, the White House said on Monday, adding that a diplomatic path remains open, AFP reports.

“One thing President Trump excels at is keeping all options on the table. And airstrikes are one of the many options available to the commander in chief,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

However, she assured that “diplomacy is always the first option of the president”.

According to her, a diplomatic channel remains open with Iran, the Tehran regime adopting a “very different tone” in private discussions with the American emissary Steve Witkoff.

“What you're hearing from the Iranian regime is very different from the messages that the (U.S.) administration is getting privately, and I think the president wants to examine those messages,” she added.

Donald Trump “doesn't want to see people killed on the streets of Tehran, but unfortunately, that's what's happening right now,” Karoline Leavitt said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran said earlier on Monday that a channel of communication is “open” between Iran and Steve Witkoff, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two enemy countries.

Moscow's first reaction

Russia condemned what it called “attempts by foreign powers” to intervene in Iran after the United States threatened to get involved amid a bloody crackdown on protests.

The Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, denounced in a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Monday “attempts of external interference”, in the context in which Iran is shaken by this large-scale protest movement.

In his discussion with Ali Larijani, Sergei Shoigu “strongly condemned” “new attempts by foreign forces to interfere in Iran's internal affairs,” according to Russian news agencies.

Pro-regime demonstrations in Iran on Monday

At the call of President Masoud Pezeshkian, thousands of Iranians – according to images broadcast by state television – invaded the Revolution Square in the center of Tehran, demonstrating in support of the power that is facing one of the biggest challenges since the proclamation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, reports AFP.

In Tehran, amid flags of the Islamic Republic and chants of “Death to America!”, the crowd recited prayers for members of the security forces killed in what the government describes as “disturbances”. The Iranian press claims that dozens of people died during these street actions.

Iran is waging a war against “terrorists”, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has claimed, threatening to teach Donald Trump an “unforgettable” lesson in the event of a US attack.

Other similar gatherings took place in other cities, according to official media, while the government decreed three days of national mourning.

“Warning to the US”

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Monday described as a “warning” for the United States the massive mobilization of supporters of power in Tehran, who reportedly took to the streets in large numbers in response to the wave of anti-government protests that have rocked the country for more than two weeks.

“It was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceitful maneuvers,” the ayatollah said, according to state television, after President Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily.

“These massive gatherings marked by determination foiled the plan of foreign enemies to be implemented by Iranian mercenaries,” Ali Khamenei added.

Hundreds of demonstrators killed, thousands of arrests

The protests in Iran, which began on December 28 amid discontent over the poor economic situation, have turned into broader demonstrations against the theocratic regime in Tehran, which accuses the United States and Israel of “bringing terrorists” into the country and trying to “escalate” social tensions.

Unable to appease the protesters with social aid, the regime chose the option of bloody repression of the demonstrations.

According to the latest figures – provided by activists inside and outside Iran – the US-based human rights organization HRANA said it had verified the deaths of around 600 people and the arrest of 11,000 others since the protests began.

Iran has not given an official tally.

Macron condemns “state violence” in Iran

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday condemned the “state violence that blindly hits the demonstrators in Iran” and declared himself “with” the defenders of “fundamental freedoms”, notes AFP.

“I condemn the state violence that blinds Iranian men and women who bravely demand respect for their rights,” Macron wrote on X. “Respect for fundamental freedoms is a universal demand and we stand by those who defend them,” he added.

The European ambassadors, summoned by Tehran

Ambassadors and chargé d'affaires from Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, stationed in Tehran, were summoned on Monday by the Iranian authorities, who lament the support expressed by these countries towards the Iranian demonstrators, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

“We confirm the summoning of the European ambassadors,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, quoted by AFP.

In a video, diplomats can be seen taking their seats in front of a huge screen. The Iranian MFA showed them images that documented, according to him, violent actions of the demonstrators.

“These actions go beyond the scope of peaceful demonstrations and reveal organized sabotage,” according to the statement issued by the ministry and broadcast by state television.

As a result, Tehran asked ambassadors to transmit the images directly to their foreign ministries and to demand “the withdrawal of official statements made in support of the protesters”.

Iran emphasized, among other things, that “any political or media support is unacceptable and constitutes a clear interference in the internal security of the country.”

Turkey, against a “foreign intervention”

Turkey warned on Monday that any foreign intervention in Iran risks leading to even greater crises in that country and the region, and urged negotiations between the United States and Iran to resolve existing issues, reports Reuters.

NATO member Turkey does not want to see chaos in Iran, “despite certain problems in Iranian society and government,” said Omer Celik, spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“As President (Iranian Masoud) Pezeshkian said, the problems must be solved through the internal dynamics of Iranian society and the national will of Iran,” the spokesman told a conference after an AKP meeting.

“We believe that a foreign intervention will lead to even worse consequences, and that intervention, provoked by Israel in particular, will lead to even greater crises,” Celik added.

Trump says Tehran 'wants to negotiate'

Trump said Sunday night that Iran “wants to negotiate” and that a meeting with the leaders of the Islamic Republic is being prepared, without ruling out military options for the United States to intervene.

In remarks aboard Air Force One, the US president said Tehran was beginning to cross the red line it had set in killing protesters in the unprecedented three-year-long crackdown, saying the military was looking at “very strong options”.

Trump also said he was in contact with Iranian opposition leaders. He also said, without elaborating, that Iranian leaders called him on Saturday and wanted to negotiate, and that he might talk with them.

On Monday, Iranian officials announced that they are ready for dialogue and that the line of communication with the US remains open, writes Reuters.

“We are ready for war, but also for dialogue,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran, according to an English translation.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in turn that the lines of communication remain open, both with the US and with the Swiss intermediaries, writes Reuters.

Trump under pressure to act in Iran

As the protests enter their third week, Trump is under pressure to turn his words into action.

In recent days, he has met with his advisers to discuss his options, although sources in Washington cited by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal said he had not yet made a decision – and would meet with his advisers again on Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal wrote that options include military strikes, the use of secret cyber weapons, expanding sanctions and providing online aid to anti-government sources.