This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.
A race fan sits in the stands at Churchill Downs before the 151st running of the Kentucky Oaks horse race Friday, May 2, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
President Donald Trump talks about transgender weightlifters as gives a commencement address at the University of Alabama, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A race fan sits in the stands at Churchill Downs before the 151st running of the Kentucky Oaks horse race Friday, May 2, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Multiple wounds cover the face of Kostiantyn Bychek, 35, after he was injured in a Thursday Russian strike on residential neighborhood, as he visits a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Indonesian ballet students gather during competition at shopping mall in Bekasi, on the outskirt of Jakarta, Sunday, April, 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Buddhists carry lanterns in a parade during the Yeon Deung Hoe, or Lotus Lantern Festival ahead of the Buddha's birthday on May 5, in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
People attend a mass presided over by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the second of nine days of mourning for late Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Men dressed in traditional clothes try to pull the opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Pang, near Rosenheim, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Clerics attend a mass on the third of nine days of mourning for late Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Faithful take photos of the tomb of late Pope Francis inside St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., poses for a portrait during an event at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Mira Abu Shaar, 5, right, and her older sister, Raghad, 15, hold pots next to their family tent, as they wait for food to be prepared, in Muwasi, on the outskirts of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israeli soldiers mourn reservist Master sergeant Asaf Cafri, 26, who was killed in Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, during his funeral, in Gezer regional council, Israel, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Children of the Maasai tribe perform a traditional jumping dance during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya, Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Liza Ahyeng, center right, hugs another attendee at a vigil for victims after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández celebrates as sunflower seeds are thrown at him after hitting home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Los Angeles, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
A horse comes off the track after a workout at Churchill Downs Monday, April 28, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
People buy food at a supermarket during a massive power outage in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
A white rose is placed on the tomb of Pope Francis inside St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Houston Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubón (14) leaps to catch the throw as Detroit Tigers' Trey Sweeney steals second base during the seventh inning of a baseball game Monday, April 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Wendell Gomez, left, places a candle at a memorial for victims after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Cossacks march toward Red Square to attend a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns the ball against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy during the Madrid Open round of 32 tennis match in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Heba Shakura mourns her son Islam Abu Mahdi who was killed in an Israeli army airstrike, during his funeral at the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
A woman protests the Panamanian government's decision to sign an agreement with the United States that demonstrators deem at odds with their sovereignty, in Panama City, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People arrive before President Donald Trump speaks on his first 100 days at Macomb County Community College Sports Expo Center, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Warren, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
President Donald Trump holds his hat in the wind as he arrives on Air Force One at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A member of the LGBTI community models a creation inspired by Lady Gaga's style during a show of outfits made either by the models themselves or by the sustainable fashion house "Escola de Divines," at the Central Train Station days before Lady Gaga's concert in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. at (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
An unidentified Cardinal walks through the St. Peter's Square colonnade at the end of a college of cardinals' meeting, at the Vatican, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Cardinals attend a mass on the fifth of nine days of mourning for late Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A girl watches a fireworks display during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Russian soldiers attend a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade at the Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Elon Musk speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Anton Le, who was 5 years old when he and his family arrived in the U.S. from Vietnam via the Philippines, plays with his son, Kevin, while waiting for his order outside a café in the Little Saigon neighborhood of Westminster, Calif., Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan scores on a fielding error by Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz during the third inning of a baseball game, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Abdoul Sow)
Ottawa Senators fans are bathed in red light as they wave towels before Game 6 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States' Coco Gauff returns the ball to Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Palestinians search the rubble of a house targeted by an Israeli army strike that killed killing at least five members of the Abu Sahloul family in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Islam Abu Sahloul, center, mourns the death of her sister Lamia, 32, who was killed when an Israeli army strike hit a house killing at least five people, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Cubans march to Revolution Square to mark May Day, in Havana, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A laborer carries a sack of potatoes to load it into a mini truck at a wholesale vegetable market, during May Day in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Tre Cool, from left, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Mike Dirnt of Green Day pose with their new star during a ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
An Order of the Sunrise follower attends an annual ceremony known as the "Day of the Spiritual Indoctrinator," at the group's lakeside temple in Planaltina, Brazil, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Thomas Slater waves an American flag during the NYCLU's May Day rally for workers and immigrants' rights, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
President Donald Trump sits at a desk as he and religious leaders listen to a musical performance before Trump signs an executive order during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
People swim in the Sky Pool on a sunny day in London, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon shoots during the second half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Actor--comedian Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A Vietnamese couple practice Ballroom dancing as part of their morning exercise along Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam on Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
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Mira Abu Shaar, 5, right, and her older sister, Raghad, 15, hold pots next to their family tent, as they wait for food to be prepared, in Muwasi, on the outskirts of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A race fan sits in the stands at Churchill Downs before the 151st running of the Kentucky Oaks horse race Friday, May 2, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
President Donald Trump talks about transgender weightlifters as gives a commencement address at the University of Alabama, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A race fan sits in the stands at Churchill Downs before the 151st running of the Kentucky Oaks horse race Friday, May 2, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Multiple wounds cover the face of Kostiantyn Bychek, 35, after he was injured in a Thursday Russian strike on residential neighborhood, as he visits a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Indonesian ballet students gather during competition at shopping mall in Bekasi, on the outskirt of Jakarta, Sunday, April, 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Buddhists carry lanterns in a parade during the Yeon Deung Hoe, or Lotus Lantern Festival ahead of the Buddha's birthday on May 5, in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
People attend a mass presided over by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the second of nine days of mourning for late Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Men dressed in traditional clothes try to pull the opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Pang, near Rosenheim, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Clerics attend a mass on the third of nine days of mourning for late Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Faithful take photos of the tomb of late Pope Francis inside St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., poses for a portrait during an event at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Mira Abu Shaar, 5, right, and her older sister, Raghad, 15, hold pots next to their family tent, as they wait for food to be prepared, in Muwasi, on the outskirts of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israeli soldiers mourn reservist Master sergeant Asaf Cafri, 26, who was killed in Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, during his funeral, in Gezer regional council, Israel, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Children of the Maasai tribe perform a traditional jumping dance during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya, Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Liza Ahyeng, center right, hugs another attendee at a vigil for victims after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández celebrates as sunflower seeds are thrown at him after hitting home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Los Angeles, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
A horse comes off the track after a workout at Churchill Downs Monday, April 28, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
People buy food at a supermarket during a massive power outage in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
A white rose is placed on the tomb of Pope Francis inside St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Houston Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubón (14) leaps to catch the throw as Detroit Tigers' Trey Sweeney steals second base during the seventh inning of a baseball game Monday, April 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Wendell Gomez, left, places a candle at a memorial for victims after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Cossacks march toward Red Square to attend a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns the ball against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy during the Madrid Open round of 32 tennis match in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Heba Shakura mourns her son Islam Abu Mahdi who was killed in an Israeli army airstrike, during his funeral at the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
A woman protests the Panamanian government's decision to sign an agreement with the United States that demonstrators deem at odds with their sovereignty, in Panama City, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People arrive before President Donald Trump speaks on his first 100 days at Macomb County Community College Sports Expo Center, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Warren, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
President Donald Trump holds his hat in the wind as he arrives on Air Force One at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A member of the LGBTI community models a creation inspired by Lady Gaga's style during a show of outfits made either by the models themselves or by the sustainable fashion house "Escola de Divines," at the Central Train Station days before Lady Gaga's concert in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. at (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
An unidentified Cardinal walks through the St. Peter's Square colonnade at the end of a college of cardinals' meeting, at the Vatican, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Cardinals attend a mass on the fifth of nine days of mourning for late Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A girl watches a fireworks display during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Russian soldiers attend a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade at the Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Elon Musk speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Anton Le, who was 5 years old when he and his family arrived in the U.S. from Vietnam via the Philippines, plays with his son, Kevin, while waiting for his order outside a café in the Little Saigon neighborhood of Westminster, Calif., Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan scores on a fielding error by Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz during the third inning of a baseball game, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Abdoul Sow)
Ottawa Senators fans are bathed in red light as they wave towels before Game 6 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States' Coco Gauff returns the ball to Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Palestinians search the rubble of a house targeted by an Israeli army strike that killed killing at least five members of the Abu Sahloul family in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Islam Abu Sahloul, center, mourns the death of her sister Lamia, 32, who was killed when an Israeli army strike hit a house killing at least five people, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Cubans march to Revolution Square to mark May Day, in Havana, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A laborer carries a sack of potatoes to load it into a mini truck at a wholesale vegetable market, during May Day in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Tre Cool, from left, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Mike Dirnt of Green Day pose with their new star during a ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
An Order of the Sunrise follower attends an annual ceremony known as the "Day of the Spiritual Indoctrinator," at the group's lakeside temple in Planaltina, Brazil, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Thomas Slater waves an American flag during the NYCLU's May Day rally for workers and immigrants' rights, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
President Donald Trump sits at a desk as he and religious leaders listen to a musical performance before Trump signs an executive order during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
People swim in the Sky Pool on a sunny day in London, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon shoots during the second half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Actor--comedian Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A Vietnamese couple practice Ballroom dancing as part of their morning exercise along Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam on Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)