'Iran wants to talk'

RISING TENSION Donald Trump on board Air Force One

- BY DANNY DE VAAL

DONALD Trump claimed Iran wants talks after his threat to strike the country as a crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.

But the US president cautioned he may have to act amid reports of hundreds of civilian deaths at the hands of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One: "Iran called, they want to negotiate."

Tehran did not acknowledge the comments but warned the US military and Israel would be "legitimate targets" if Washington orders military force.

UNREST

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said 510 protesters and 89 members of security forces have been killed in the unrest.

With the internet down and phone lines cut, gauging the protests from abroad has grown more difficult.