ISLAMABAD
\nThe situation in Iran is \u201cunder total control\u201d after violence linked to protests spiked over the weekend, the country\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday via English translation. \u201cWe are ready for war but also for dialogue,\u201d Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday in a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran via English translation.
\nHe added that Trump\u2019s warning against Tehran of action should protests turn bloody had motivated \u201cterrorists\u201d to target protesters and security forces in order to invite foreign intervention. FM Araqchi\u2019s response came after Trump said that he was considering potential military action against Iran, amid mounting mass anti-government protests in the country.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re starting to, it looks like,\u201d Trump said, when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if Iran had crossed his previously stated red line of protesters being killed. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we\u2019re looking at some very strong options. We\u2019ll make a determination,\u201d he said. He also said that Iran\u2019s leadership had called seeking \u201cto negotiate\u201d after his threats of military action.
\n\u201cThe leaders of Iran called\u201d yesterday, Trump said, adding that \u201ca meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate. \u201cHowever, Trump added that \u201cwe may have to act before a meeting.\u201d Meanwhile, China said on Monday it hopes the Iranian government and people would be able to overcome the current difficulties the country faces and maintain stability, referring to deadly protests taking place in the oil-rich Middle Eastern nation.
\nChina opposes the use of force or the threat of it in international relations matters, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said when responding to a media question about US President Donald Trump\u2019s threat to intervene with military on behalf of the protesters.
\n\u201cWe have always opposed interference in other countries\u2019 internal affairs and consistently advocated that the sovereignty and security of all nations should be fully protected by international law,\u201d spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing. Trump to meet senior advisers
\nTrump was to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, a US official told Reuters on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal had reported that options included military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources. Earlier, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Washington against \u201ca miscalculation.\u201d
\nIranian president calls for \u2018national resistance march\u2019 The Iranian government declared three days of national mourning for \u201cmartyrs\u201d including members of the security forces killed in two weeks of protests, state television reported on Sunday.
\nThe government described the fight against what it has termed \u201criots\u201d as an \u201cIranian national resistance battle against America and the Zionist regime\u201d, using the clerical leadership\u2019s term for Israel, which the Islamic Republic does not recognize. \u2014 DNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD The situation in Iran is \u201cunder total control\u201d after violence linked to protests spiked over the weekend, the country\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday via English translation. \u201cWe are ready for war but also for dialogue,\u201d Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday in a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-525173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n