TEHRAN: Iran, which has accused the US and Israel of fomenting the ongoing unrest in the Middle Eastern country, said on Monday it strongly condemned “interventionist statements” by US President Donald Trump and other officials regarding its internal affairs.
Trump has warned Tehran of strikes over the crackdown on the protests and also said on Sunday that he was weighing a range of strong responses, including military options, to action against protesters.
Iran’s latest condemnation of his statements came in a press release titled “Fact Sheet on Recent Protests in Iran”, which was shared by the Iranian embassy in Islamabad on the social media platform X.
In the statement, Tehran expressed “deep concern regarding overt and increasing foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs and recent protests”.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the interventionist statements made by the president of the United States of America and other American officials,” it said.
“Such coercive and unlawful positions constitute a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of UN Charter and international law, particularly the principle of sovereignty and non-intervention, and effectively amount to encouragement of violence and terrorism against Iranian citizens. These reckless statements are not unprecedented.“
It was recalled that days earlier, the US president had “publicly threatened the Islamic Republic of Iran with the use of force, including the prospect of renewed military attacks against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities and its defensive capabilities“.
The press release also mentioned economic pressures on Iran, resulting from universal coercive measures.
“The extensive imposition of unilateral coercive measures had a direct and adverse impact on the Iranian people’s livelihood and economic situation, severely restricting the country’s financial resources, disrupting trade and investment, impeding access to essential goods and services, and consequently intensifying economic pressure on ordinary citizens,” it said.
In a reference to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the statement said: “The prime minister of the Zionist regime has made blatantly interventionist statements regarding Iran’s internal developments and has portrayed himself as sympathetic to the Iranian people.
“Such claims are profoundly deceptive, particularly considering the aggressive actions of this regime against Iran, which have resulted in the killing of more than 1,100 Iranian citizens.“
It further stated: “Decades of criminal actions by the Zionist regime against the Iranian people cannot be concealed by rhetorical manoeuvres and or hypocritical behaviour. It is evident that the Zionist seeks to exploit every opportunity to sow division within Iranian society and undermine national cohesion.
“Statements by him and certain hardline American officials amount to incitement to violence, terrorism and criminal acts,” it added.
The statement also recalled that on December 28, 2025, following an increase in foreign exchange rates, sector-based protest gatherings were formed by some traders in the Tehran Bazaar, motivated by economic concerns.
The escalating protests in Iran, which began in December last year in response to soaring prices, now pose one of the biggest challenges to the government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirm its commitment to its obligation under international human rights law regarding respecting and protecting the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed under the Constitution.
“Government recognised the lawful demands of peaceful protesters and started utilising all available capacities to address the demands,” the statement added.
However, it continued, a distinction should be made between peaceful protests and riots or violent acts.
“Just as Iran considers itself fully committed to supporting and protecting the right of its citizens to peaceful and lawful protest, it is equally obliged to prevent threats to public security.
“Accordingly, it must adopt necessary legal and preventive measures to confront any form of violence that endangers the lives, property, or psychological well-being” of its citizens and society. Within this framework, the rights of millions of peace-seeking Iranians will not be compromised due to the actions of a very limited number of violent individuals,” it said.
It further stated that no international official, mechanism, or human rights body “expect law-enforcement forces to remain indifferent to armed or violent acts occurring simultaneously with or alongside peaceful assemblies, or to allow perpetrators of violence free rein to impose damage, harm, or costs on society and peaceful protesters”.
“Nevertheless, a significant portion of the peaceful and fully lawful protests by some bazaar merchants and members of the public, held in protest of the country’s economic conditions, were exploited — due to foreign interference — by a very small group, and in some cases escalated into violent and even armed clashes with law enforcement forces at protest sites.
“These acts bore no connection to the legitimate demands of the protesters nor endorsed by most of the population.”
At the same time, the statement said, Iranian authorities observed instances of violent unrest perpetrated by a limited number of individuals, including attacks on police stations, the use of incendiary devices such as Molotov cocktails against law enforcement officers and, in some cases, the use of firearms.
“Such actions constitute serious crimes involving violence against people and destruction of public property and fall outside the protective scope of peaceful assemblies under international human rights law.
“It is evident that such violent acts, including the use of weapons and various types of hand-made explosive devices by terrorist groups, not only harm public security and endanger the lives and property of citizens, but also undermine the peaceful nature of protests and give rise to public concern as explicitly underscored in the remarks of the supreme leader on January 3, 2026.”
The statement further added: “Despite the occurrence of violence by some individuals, law enforcement forces have acted with restraint and in accordance with applicable laws, exercising utmost care to restore public order and security while minimising harm and observing human rights principles, including necessity and proportionality.“
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed “current developments in Iran” with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi during a phone call, the Foreign Office (FO) said.
“[The] DPM/FM reaffirmed the importance of sustained dialogue and engagement. Both sides agreed to continue to maintain close contact,” the FO said.
Trump weighing tough options
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump said the US may meet Iranian officials and was in contact with the opposition, as he weighed a range of strong responses, including military options, to the protests.
He said Iran called to negotiate its nuclear programme, which Israel and the US bombed in a 12-day war in June.
“The leaders of Iran called” yesterday, Trump told reporters, adding that “a meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate.”
However, Trump added that “we may have to act before a meeting“.
Trump was to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, a US official told Reuters on Sunday.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that options included military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters.
Trump also said that he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities have blacked out services for four days.
“He’s very good at that kind of thing, he’s got a very good company,” Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk’s SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.
Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday.
‘Not seeking war but fully prepared’
Following Trump’s statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran on Monday that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war“.
“We are also ready for negotiations, but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect,“ he said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf earlier warned Washington against “a miscalculation.”
“Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.
Near paralysis
In Tehran, an AFP journalist described a city in a state of near paralysis.
The price of meat has nearly doubled since the start of the protests, and many shops are closed. Those that do open must close at around 4:00 or 5:00pm, when security forces deploy en masse.
There were fewer videos showing protests on social media Sunday, but it was not clear to what extent that was due to the internet shutdown.
One widely shared video showed protesters again gathering in the Pounak district of Tehran shouting slogans in favour of the ousted monarchy.
The protests have become one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel’s 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the United States.
State TV has aired images of burning buildings, including a mosque, as well as funeral processions for security personnel.
Iran has not given an official casualty toll for the protests.
After three days of mass actions, state outlets were at pains to present a picture of calm returning, broadcasting images of smooth-flowing traffic on Sunday.
Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian insisted in televised comments that “the number of protests is decreasing”.
The Iranian government on Sunday declared three days of national mourning for “martyrs” including members of the security forces killed.
President Masoud Pezeshkian also urged Iranians to join a “national resistance march” Monday to denounce the violence.
Son of ousted Iran shah urges security forces to ‘stand with the people’
The US-based son of Iran’s ousted shah urged Iranian government workers and security forces to join the swelling protest movement in the Islamic Republic.
“Employees of state institutions, as well as members of the armed and security forces, have a choice: stand with the people and become allies of the nation, or choose complicity with the murderers of the people,” Reza Pahlavi posted on social media.
Pahlavi, who has emerged as an opposition figurehead, also called for replacing the flags outside of Iranian embassies with the pre-Islamic revolution flag.
“The time has come for them to be adorned with Iran’s national flag, in place of the disgraceful banner of the Islamic Republic,” he said.
In London, protesters managed to swap out the Iranian embassy flag over the weekend, hoisting in its place the tri-coloured banner used under the last Shah.
The ceremonial, pre-revolution flag has become an emblem of the global rallies that have mushroomed in support of Iran’s demonstrations.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador in Tehran on Sunday over the flag swapping, according to the official IRNA outlet.
