Name: Trump weighs military option in Iran amid rising death toll
Uploaded: 2026-01-12T13:59:24.046Z
Duration: 3 min 47 s
Description: President Trump says Iranian leaders have reached out to the U.S. to negotiate, as massive protests continue and more deaths are reported by activists.

President Trump says Iranian leaders have reached out to the U.S. to negotiate, as massive protests continue and more deaths are reported by activists.

Washington

President Trump is evaluating strong military options in response to Iran's deadly crackdown on ongoing nationwide protests, which activists report has resulted in more than 500 deaths, primarily among demonstrators. The unrest has spread to all 31 provinces and at least 186 cities in Iran, with over 10,600 people reportedly detained, and has sparked solidarity demonstrations in major cities worldwide.

Iranian officials have signaled openness to negotiations with the United States, as the government maintains a firm stance and broadcasts pro-regime rallies on state television. The situation remains tense as the U.S. considers potential action before any diplomatic meeting, and international attention focuses on the scale of the protests and the government's response.

Trump weighs military option in Iran amid rising death toll

We begin this morning with the escalating situation inside Iran. As we've been reporting, demonstrations against the country's theocracy have not slowed. President Trump is now weighing what he calls very strong military options in response to Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters. More than 500 people are reported to have been killed, the majority of them demonstrators. That's according to activists. And now President Trump says Tehran wants to talk. Iran called to negotiate. The leaders of Iran called, they want to negotiate. I think they're tired of being beat up by the United States. A meeting is being set up. But we may have to act because of what's happening before the meeting. CBS News foreign correspondent Rami Innocencio joins us from outside Iran's embassy in central London this morning. Rami, good morning. You know, in Iran, the demonstrations seem to be growing, and I know that there was a weekend incident where you are. What happened exactly? Yes, absolutely, Errol. Over the weekend, there were about a thousand protesters here outside Iran's embassy, which opened about 2015 after a hiatus. But people were chanting, death to the dictator, down with the Islamic Republic. And then we saw one protester run towards the facade, scale that balcony, and then tore down one of those flags. He then replaced it with a pre-Islamic Revolution flag, and people here cheered, erupted with applause. But this is emblematic of the protests that are happening in Iran across the country right now. As you were just saying, more than 500 people are estimated to have been killed, according to one human rights organization. About 50 of those are security officials, also according to that organization. And this human rights NGO has been accurate in past brutal crackdowns by the regime. They're also saying that, if true, this would be one of the deadliest crackdowns in Iran in the past few decades. Not just here in London, by the way, Errol, but also in Paris, Berlin, around the world, major cities, protests are happening there. Here we also heard what some protests were saying. Let's take a listen. We've seen videos of people taking the hands of their young children and going to the streets because the people of Iran have nothing left to lose. Every day, every night, they're on the street, they're chanting against the regime, they want change. The Western governments need to voice their support for the Iranian people and for the protests that they are conducting across the country. And those protests now, we understand, have spread to all of Iran's 31 provinces, to at least 186 cities as well. About 10,600 people have been arrested and are now detained in prisons across the country. And in our last few moments, Rami, what is the reaction from the Iranian regime? Right. A stiff upper lip, if we can put it that way, Errol. This morning, we're seeing images broadcast on state-run TV of pro-government, pro-regime rallies across various cities across the country. In addition, there are funerals that have been accompanying these. The regime says that those are funerals for protesters. In addition, Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement that its top diplomat, Abbas Araqchi, is open to negotiations with Washington. This, of course, coming after President Trump threatened retaliation for the growing number of people reportedly being killed in the country. All right, Rami. Eno Sensei reporting live from London for us. Rami, thank you.

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