The United States escalated on Tuesday threats of a possible military intervention in Iran and decided to cancel the dialogue until the «senseless killings» of protesters cease, which an NGO estimated on Tuesday at nearly 2,000.
«I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS,» Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a direct message to Iranian citizens, Trump, who announced a 25% tariff on countries doing business with Iran, urged Iranians to «TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!» and assured them that «HELP IS ON ITS WAY.» He closed his message with the acronym «MIGA» (Make Iran Great Again), a variation of his «MAGA» (Make America Great Again) movement.
This rupture occurred despite last-minute attempts by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who tried during the weekend to contact Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff to de-escalate the tension, according to the US digital media Axios.
Iran is not intimidated
Tehran’s response was swift. Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned Washington that they would respond with «more determination» to any aggression.
Nasirzadeh said the country is better prepared than it was during the Israeli and American offensive in Jun. 2025. He claimed to have «effective surprises» to defend the territory «to the last drop of blood» and said any American attack would be met with an «atrocious» defense.
Iran has the support of Russia, which on Tuesday warned of «dire consequences» for international security should Washington use internal unrest as an excuse for military intervention.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Trump’s threats of an attack and tariffs inadmissible and accused «external forces» of trying to incite a revolution to destroy the Iranian state.
A death toll of at least 2,000
As the geopolitical standoff escalates, human rights organizations continue to update the death toll from the repression of protests in a country that has had its communications and internet access cut off since Jan. 8.
On Tuesday, the organization Human Rights Activists (HRA) stated that they had confirmed the deaths of 1,850 people, including nine minors, during the 17 days of anti-government protests. They also reported over 16,700 arrests.
The US-based NGO is investigating an additional 770 deaths due to repression at the hands of state forces and maintains that these figures are likely much higher, given the continuous internet and communications blackouts.
However, other opposition sources, such as the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), claim that the death toll is 3,000 and denounce the use of weapons of war and machine guns against civilians.
Human rights organizations denounce the internet blackout as the longest in the country’s history and claim it seeks to hide «serious human rights violations» and the use of lethal tactics by state forces.
Though the military presence in Tehran has decreased since Sunday, and some communications, such as phone calls and commercial activities, have resumed, witnesses describe parts of the capital as authentic «war zones.»
Call to ambassadors
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a dozen countries, including Spain, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark, summoned Iranian ambassadors to convey their strongest condemnation.
