Updated: January 13, 2026 9:12:44 am IST
Members of Iranian police take part in a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran on January 12, 2026.
Iran protest live updates- Tehran said on Monday it was keeping communication channels open with Washington as US President Donald Trump considers how to respond to Iran’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, one of the most serious tests since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. In addition to threats of military action, Trump announced late Monday that any country doing business with major oil producer Iran would face new tariffs of 25% on its exports to the US.
“This order is final and conclusive,” Trump said in a social media post. He said without giving further details about the legal authority used to impose the tariffs, or whether they would be targeted at all of Iran’s trading partners. The White House did not comment on the issue.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York also did not say anything on Trump’s tariff announcement. Iran, already subject to heavy US sanctions, exports a significant portion of its oil to China, with its other top trading partners including Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and India.
Trump has warned Iran’s leaders that the US would attack if security forces opened fire on protesters. On Sunday he said the US could meet Iranian officials and that he was in contact with Iran’s opposition.
Iran’s leaders, whose regional clout has diminished, are facing fierce protests that have ranged from complaints of severe economic difficulties to defiant calls for the collapse of the deeply entrenched clerical establishment.
US-based rights group HRANA said that as of late Monday it had confirmed 646 deaths, including 505 protesters, 113 military and security personnel and seven spectators, and was investigating 579 more deaths. According to the group, 10,721 people have been arrested since the protests began on December 28.
HRANA said it received reports and videos from Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery on Monday, where family members of victims “gathered at burial sites and chanted protest slogans.”
While airstrikes were one of several options open to Trump, “diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the President has an interest in finding out those messages,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Tehran was examining ideas proposed by Washington, although these were considered “inconsistent” with US threats.
“(US special envoy Steve) Witkoff and I had ongoing conversations before and after the protests, and are continuing now,” he told Al Jazeera.
The US State Department’s Consular Affairs highlighted the growing protests and said US citizens in Iran should consider traveling by land to Armenia or Türkiye.
“American citizens in Iran are at significant risk of interrogation, arrest, and detention,” the department said on its TravelGov account on Twitter.
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“This order is final and conclusive,” Trump said in a social media post. He said without giving further details about the legal authority used to impose the tariffs, or whether they would be targeted at all of Iran’s trading partners. The White House did not comment on the issue.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York also did not say anything on Trump’s tariff announcement. Iran, already subject to heavy US sanctions, exports a significant portion of its oil to China, with its other top trading partners including Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and India.
Trump has warned Iran’s leaders that the US would attack if security forces opened fire on protesters. On Sunday he said the US could meet Iranian officials and that he was in contact with Iran’s opposition.
Iran’s leaders, whose regional clout has diminished, are facing fierce protests that have ranged from complaints of severe economic difficulties to defiant calls for the collapse of the deeply entrenched clerical establishment.
US-based rights group HRANA said that as of late Monday it had confirmed 646 deaths, including 505 protesters, 113 military and security personnel and seven spectators, and was investigating 579 more deaths. According to the group, 10,721 people have been arrested since the protests began on December 28.
HRANA said it received reports and videos from Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery on Monday, where family members of victims “gathered at burial sites and chanted protest slogans.”
While airstrikes were one of several options open to Trump, “diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the President has an interest in finding out those messages,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Tehran was examining ideas proposed by Washington, although these were considered “inconsistent” with US threats.
“(US special envoy Steve) Witkoff and I had ongoing conversations before and after the protests, and are continuing now,” he told Al Jazeera.
The US State Department’s Consular Affairs highlighted the growing protests and said US citizens in Iran should consider traveling by land to Armenia or Türkiye.
“American citizens in Iran are at significant risk of interrogation, arrest, and detention,” the department said on its TravelGov account on Twitter.
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January 13, 2026 9:12:44 am First
Iran protests live updates: Reza Pahlavi calls on internet providers to help protesters
Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called on experts in the field of communications to target state infrastructure so the world could establish contact with protesters.
As the protests continue for another week, Pahlavi has emerged as a vocal supporter of the protesters in what he describes as a nationwide movement against the Islamic Republic. He compared the protesters to the Persian mythological character Kaveh.
“My compatriots, greetings to all of you who, like the Qaw, stand and fight against Zhaq. The regime, through severe repression, killing and cutting off communications, is trying to instill fear and terror in you, and to discourage you from continuing the movement and struggle. But know that because of your persistence and fight, thousands of military and security forces have not gone to work so as not to participate in the repression,” he said in an X post.
Kaveh is known for his resistance against Zahhak in Iran. Zaha is a symbol of evil in Iranian mythology. In modern times, Kavaya is sometimes used for political purposes.
He added, “And a special message to experts in the field of Internet and communications: target the regime’s information infrastructure so that our compatriots can re-establish connections with the world.”
January 13, 2026 9:03:18 am First
Iran opposes live updates: US senator warns Khamenei
US Senator Lindsey Graham has issued a sharp warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning US politicians against actions hostile to Iran amid nationwide anti-government protests, which Tehran claims are “foreign-backed”.
In a post on X, Senator Graham addressed Khamenei directly, adopting a sarcastic and confrontational tone.
Graham wrote, “To the Ayatollah: We don’t talk as much as we used to. Have I offended you? As for your recent warning to American politicians, I hear Moscow is a winter wonderland. Beware of drones. Make Iran great again.”
January 13, 2026 8:56:13 am First
Iran protests live updates: Indian rupee under pressure on Donald Trump’s latest tariff warning
The Indian rupee is headed for a weak opening on Tuesday due to weakness in Asian peers and US President Donald Trump’s tariff warning to countries trading with Iran.
According to a Reuters report, 1-month non-deliverable forward indicates the rupee will open in the 90.22-90.26 range against the US dollar, which closed at 90.1525 on Monday.
On Monday, Trump said 25% tariffs on US trade would be imposed on countries trading with Iran, with Washington assessing its response to widespread protests in Iran.
The top export destinations of Iranian goods are India and China.
January 13, 2026 8:51:51 am First
Iran protests live updates: Malala Yousafzai speaks on the stir
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday highlighted the diminishing freedoms of women and girls in Iran, saying they have long been barred from all aspects of public life.
Yousafzai further said that the restrictions span multiple areas and go far beyond the classroom.
In a post on X, she said, “The protests in Iran cannot be separated from long-standing state-imposed restrictions on the autonomy of girls and women in all aspects of public life, including education. Iranian girls, like girls everywhere, demand a life with dignity.”
She said, “The people of Iran have long warned about this repression at great personal risk, and their voices have been silenced for decades. These restrictions exist within a broader system of gender control shaped by isolation, surveillance and punishment – ​​which limits freedom, choice and safety beyond class.”
January 13, 2026 8:47:47 am First
Iran protests live updates: Report says Donald Trump briefed on military, other options
US President Trump received a briefing from senior officials on Monday on possible responses to Iran’s protests, including military strikes, cyber operations and psychological measures to support protesters, CBS News reported, citing sources.
CBS reported, “Officials said cyber and psychological operations could occur simultaneously with conventional military forces, in what military planners call integrated operations. They could also be deployed as stand-alone options.”
“Two US officials said no final decision has been made and diplomatic channels remain open,” the report said.
January 13, 2026 8:44:47 am First
Iran protests live updates: Rights group says 646 deaths so far
US-based rights group HRANA said that as of late Monday it had confirmed 646 deaths, including 505 protesters, 113 military and security personnel and seven spectators, and was investigating 579 more deaths.
