US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Iran’s leaders have asked for talks as Washington threatens to intervene in the nationwide economic protests that have rocked the country.
“The leaders of Iran called” on Saturday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that “a meeting is being set up…they want to negotiate.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened to take military action against Iran if it harms protesters.
Activists say that almost 550 people have been killed as the protests enter their third week.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday claimed that the government has got the situation “under total control” after security forces began cracking down on the demonstrations amid an internet blackout.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said that 483 protesters have been killed and 47 members of the security forces have died in the increasingly violent protests.