Trump said Sunday that Iran's leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989 and now 86, had called him seeking "to negotiate" after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran broadcast by state television. Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Oman, which has on occasion acted as a mediator, met Araghchi in Tehran on Saturday. "The leaders of Iran called" yesterday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that "a meeting is being set up... The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but that the actual toll could be much higher.

Source: Bangkok Post January 12, 2026 12:35 UTC