President Trump has called off all scheduled meetings with Iranian officials and assured protestors that “help is on its way,” hinting at possible direct intervention in a recent post on Truth Social.

In a marked intensification of his “maximum pressure” strategy, Trump has moved from enforcing diplomatic sanctions to openly advocating for grassroots regime change. He’s encouraging Iranian citizens to “take over” their institutions.

This morning, he posted, “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.”

Today, Trump is convening with Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine, and other senior officials to discuss potential actions regarding Iran.

Trump has warned that military intervention could precede any diplomatic discussions if the situation on the ground worsens.

“A meeting is being set up,” Trump mentioned to reporters, adding, “We may have to act before a meeting.”

Verified video evidence from Sunday shows citizens gathered at the Kahrizak Forensic Centre in Tehran. The footage depicts people standing over long rows of dark body bags.

Since the nationwide demonstrations began on December 28, the US-based human rights organization HRANA reports it has confirmed about 600 fatalities, but according to other reports that number is more likely in the thousands. 

Iranian demonstrators gather in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value, in Tehran, Iran

Bodies lie in body bags on the ground as people stand amid the scene outside Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre in Tehran, Iran, in this screen capture from a video obtained from social media, January 11

Protestors burn images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally held in Solidarity with Iran’s Uprising, organised by The national Council of Resistance of Iran, on Whitehall in central London

President Trump told a group of reporters on Air Force One that Iranian diplomats had reached out to the administration to negotiate. 

‘The communication channel between our Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and the US special envoy (Steve Witkoff) is open and messages are exchanged whenever necessary,’ Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday. 

Mohammad Ghalibaf, Iran’s speaker of Parliament, put out a statement Sunday saying that any US military action will result in a retaliatory response from Iran.

‘If the United States takes military action, both the occupied territories and US military and shipping lanes will be our legitimate targets,’ Ghalibaf said. ‘Both US and Israeli military bases could be targets,’ he added.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump threatened to intervene, saying: ‘The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options.’

Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: ‘If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.’

This wave of protests was ignited by an economic implosion that saw the Iranian Rial plunge to a historic low of 1.45 million per US dollar, essentially making their currency near worthless and driving inflation higher than 70%.

This all comes six months after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities during operation ‘Midnight Hammer’ in June 2025.

The Trump administration claimed that this dismantled a significant amount of the regimes nuclear capabilities at their sites Fordow and Natanz.

In an effort to reshape the narrative surrounding the recent violence, the Iranian government has declared three days of state-mandated mourning. 

According to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency, the tribute is dedicated to those purportedly slain by ‘urban terrorist criminals’—a designation likely used by the state to describe security personnel killed during the ongoing clashes with protesters.