- 12 Jan 2026 - 22:45(22:45 GMT)
Here’s what happened today
This live page will be closing soon, but before we do, here are today’s top developments:
- US President Donald Trump announced that countries that do business with Iran will face a 25 percent tariff when doing business with the US, after saying last night that he is looking at a number of “very strong” options to hit Iran for its handling of the protests.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that Iran is ready to engage in nuclear talks with the US, “provided that it is without threats or dictates”.
- Araghchi also told Al Jazeera Arabic: “If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it,” referring to US bombings carried out on three nuclear sites in Iran in June 2025.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Iran is sending a different message to Trump behind closed doors, and that Trump is willing to use military force against Iran.
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to social media to congratulate the participants of today’s pro-state rallies in Tehran, attendance at which numbered in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands.
- Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing AK Party, warned that foreign intervention in Iran could worsen the country’s crisis.
- President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has prohibited all Iranian diplomats and “any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran” from parliament premises.
- Iran continues to be cut off from the internet, with the blackout reaching more than 100 hours, according to global internet connectivity monitor NetBlocks.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 22:30(22:30 GMT)
‘US-Israeli action could target Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities’
We have more from Jamal Abdi, the president of the National Iranian American Council.
Negotiations between the US and Iran will likely revolve around Iran’s enrichment programme, which Iran has not committed to forgoing, and which represents Trump’s “red line” on Iran, Abdi said.
But there have also been hints from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would like to destroy Iran’s ability to produce ballistic missiles, making that another likely topic for negotiations, Abdi said.
If Trump went ahead with military strikes, it’s possible that “this human rights lens” would provide cover “for the US and potentially Israel… to go after ballistic missile facilities”.
Advertisement - 12 Jan 2026 - 22:20(22:20 GMT)
Trump: Any country doing business with Iran faces 25 percent tariffs
Trump has announced immediate tariffs against countries that do business with Iran.
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The president has regularly used tariffs to threaten countries over his foreign policy goals, with an upcoming Supreme Court decision expected to rule on their legality.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 22:15(22:15 GMT)
Iran ‘may not be willing’ to make concessions to Trump
Iran may be less willing to provide the US maximum concessions in negotiations now that it has gained the upper hand in controlling mass protests, an analyst has told Al Jazeera.
Trump “probably now thinks he’s in a position where Iran is reeling at home … [and] he can extract maximum concessions”, said Jamal Abdi, the president of the National Iranian American Council.
The Iranian government was “much more beleaguered” over the weekend, but “the massive show of violence over the weekend may have deterred a lot of people from coming to the streets”, Abdi said.
“They apparently have some control over the streets and the situation, and they may not be as willing to make those concessions as Trump thinks,” he said.
Still, with Iran’s underlying economic problems ongoing – and the prospect of upcoming funerals and ceremonies “marking the many, many dead Iranian civilians” – unrest is likely to continue.
“This is not going away,” Abdi added.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 22:00(22:00 GMT)
Photos: Antigovernment protesters hold demonstration outside embassy in London
Anti-Iranian regime protesters wave Iranian flags during a gathering outside the Iranian Embassy, central London [AFP] 
Anti-Iranian regime protesters burn an image of the Iranian flag during a gathering outside London’s Iranian Embassy [AFP] 
Protesters wave Iranian flags outside the London Iranian embassy[AFP] - 12 Jan 2026 - 21:45(21:45 GMT)
Belgian FM summons Iranian ambassador, calls on Tehran to ‘listen’ to protesters
Maxime Prevot summoned the Iranian ambassador to urge Tehran to “listen to the peaceful demands” of protesting Iranians.
“The current situation in Iran is more than worrying. I had the Iranian ambassador to Belgium summoned today [Monday],” the foreign minister said in a statement.
He added that he wanted to share Belgium’s concerns over the ongoing situation and urged the authorities in Tehran to “refrain from any disproportionate use of force”.
Iran has accused the US and Israel of fomenting the unrest in the country, and blames “terrorists” receiving outside help for the bloodshed and violence that has occurred during the protests.
Prevot’s statement comes after Belgium urged its nationals last week to leave Iran as soon as possible, referring to the risk of arbitrary detentions.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 21:30(21:30 GMT)
Iran’s police chief claims ‘terrorists’ killed protesters
Ahmad-Reza Radan, Iran’s national police chief, has claimed that security forces showed the “utmost restraint” and blamed protesters’ deaths on “terrorists”.
In an interview with state news agency SNN, Radan said that security forces were killed by bullets, but they were not allowed to shoot back as they tried to separate “terrorists” from protesters.
The “terrorists” then turned to killing protesters, he claimed, adding that some protesters were killed by knife wounds.
Opposition activist groups outside the country say hundreds of protesters have been killed, while Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reported the deaths of at least 28 as of January 3. The Iranian government says that more than 100 security service personnel were killed.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these figures.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 21:15(21:15 GMT)
What is the population breakdown of Iran?
Iran is a highly diverse country, both ethnically and culturally. Persians make up approximately 61 percent of the population, while significant minority groups include Azerbaijanis (16 percent), Kurds (10 percent) and others, such as Lurs (6 percent), Arabs (2 percent), Baloch (2 percent) and Turkic groups (2 percent).
Iran is predominantly Shia Muslim, making up about 90 percent of the population, while Sunni Muslims and other Muslim sects account for roughly 9 percent. The remaining 1 percent includes roughly 300,000 Baha’i, 300,000 Christians, 35,000 Zoroastrians, 20,000 Jews, and 10,000 Sabean Mandaeans, according to the Minority Rights Group.
In border regions such as Kurdistan, Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan, ethnic groups play a key role in shaping the country’s ethnic and religious diversity as well as its regional politics.
While Persian (Farsi) is the official national language, many regions across the country speak a variety of other languages.
Read our simple guide here.
Advertisement - 12 Jan 2026 - 21:00(21:00 GMT)
Tasnim says its .com site taken down, blames US
The semiofficial Iranian news agency’s .com domain was briefly inaccessible, but appears to be back up.
The agency blamed the outage on the US government, saying it was “a retaliatory move against raising awareness about Israeli-American terrorism against the Iranian nation”.
Tasnim has been under US sanctions since 2023, along with Fars News and Press TV, Iranian outlets with links to the regime.
During the outage, Tasnim’s content was still accessible via its Iranian domain, Tasnimnews.ir.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 20:45(20:45 GMT)
WATCH: How volatile is the situation in Iran?
Iran has been rocked by two weeks of widespread protests since its currency collapsed.
Widespread unrest, killings and arrests have taken place during protests. While the leadership says that it will listen to demonstrators, it also says that rioters face the death penalty.
Al Jazeera’s Inside Story speaks to experts on how volatile the situation in the country is.
Watch the discussion below:
- 12 Jan 2026 - 20:30(20:30 GMT)
Iran’s internet blackout nears 100 hours
Iran had been offline for 96 hours as of 16:30 GMT, according to global internet connectivity monitor NetBlocks.
In an update, the monitor said that fixed-line internet, mobile data and calls are disabled, while other communication means are also “increasingly being targeted”.
The ongoing outage is “limiting reporting and accountability over civilian deaths as Iranians protest and demand change”, the group added.
NetBlocks’ Isik Mater, director of research, earlier said Iranian authorities have “perfected their digital kill switch” compared to protests in recent years.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 20:15(20:15 GMT)
Most protests in Iran since 2017 ‘triggered’ by economy, says human rights lawyer
Amid the pro-government demonstrations, Gissou Nia, a human rights lawyer, says it has to be noted that those coming out in defence of the government are doing it with no “cost” to themselves.
“What is clear is that there are reports of massive, massive protests on Thursday, Friday, Saturday from people who are protesting the Iranian government who want a change in governance. I want to push back on the idea that somehow this is fomented by external powers. These are very much homegrown movements, with homegrown opposition leaders,” Nia told Al Jazeera.
She explained that since 2017, protests in the country have often been “triggered” by the economy, with the exception of the September 2022 protest that was rights-based, spurred by the death of Mahsa Amini.
“What we see now is that there are many young people in Iran who cannot hold employment, who feel that their social freedoms are restricted,” Nia added.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 20:00(20:00 GMT)
UK will not proscribe IRGC, gov’t open to changing the law: Trade secretary
British lawmakers will not proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” organisation due to constraints under the current proscription law, Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle has said.
The elite IRGC, which operates separately from Iran’s regular army, has been accused of brutal repression of protesters, leading to renewed calls for the UK government to proscribe it.
Iran maintains that Israel and the US are fomenting violence and “terrorism” in the country as a pretext for war.
Proscription makes it illegal to join or show support for an organisation “concerned in terrorism”.
The UK is facing criticism for proscribing the protest group Palestine Action, leading to the arrests of more than 1,600 people.
But proscribing a foreign state body such as the IRGC – as opposed to a domestic organisation – would not be an “appropriate” use of the law, Kyle told broadcasters.
The government “might well be making recommendations of how we change the law, but these are things that we will look at going forward”, he added.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 19:45(19:45 GMT)
UK’s Cooper speaks to Iranian counterpart, calls on Iran to ‘immediately end the violence’
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned the “killing & brutal repression” of protesters in Iran, describing it as “horrific”.
“I have spoken to Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe,” Cooper wrote in a post on X.
To date, the UK has arrested more than 1,600 people over their support for the Palestine Action protest group, which the government has proscribed under “terrorism” laws. Currently, several of those arrested are on hunger strikes and are facing severe health complications, even death.
Earlier today, Iran summoned the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, Germany and France over what it said was their governments’ support for the protests.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry called on the envoys to tell their governments to “withdraw official statements supporting the protesters”.
The killing & brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific.
I have spoken to Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) January 12, 2026
- 12 Jan 2026 - 19:30(19:30 GMT)
Iran’s supreme leader: Pro-state rallies ‘warning’ to America
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taken to social media to congratulate the participants of today’s pro-state rallies.
In a series of posts on X, the supreme leader shared photos of pro-government demonstrators and said they had “done a great job” and “nullified the plan of foreign enemies, which was to be implemented by domestic mercenaries”.
“The great nation of Iran showcased itself, along with its determination and identity, to its enemies,” Khamenei added. “This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceptions and not rely on treacherous mercenaries.”
- 12 Jan 2026 - 19:15(19:15 GMT)
Pro-government protests a ‘sign of backing’ the state domestically, internationally
Compared to Thursday night, we have been witnessing a tangible, considerable cooling down of anti-state protests.
We also witnessed today in the capital hundreds of thousands of people going out taking to the streets in a pro-state demonstration, and that is the same when it comes to other small and big cities in the country.
Many attended a pro-government demonstration to show that they have been responding to the call for solidarity and unity.
Also, it was a message that could be interpreted from an international perspective, seeing the very fact that over the last few days we have been witnessing the rhetoric from the American President Donald Trump, who has been directing threats against Iran and the possibility of intervention, or a possibility of a more escalated situation down the road.
So the presence of people today in support of the Islamic country shows a sign of backing the state, domestically and internationally.
It also gives, in a sense, what some experts here believe, a sort of green light for further tightened security measures when it comes to protests that at some point turn into violence.
Advertisement - 12 Jan 2026 - 19:10(19:10 GMT)
Trump ‘unafraid to use lethal force’: White House
We have more from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who told Fox News that Trump is willing to use military force in Iran.
Trump has “always expressed that diplomacy is the first option”, Leavitt said.
“However, he is unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military, if and when he deems that necessary,” Leavitt said. “Nobody knows that better than the Iranian regime”.
“What President Trump will do next, only he knows, so the world will have to keep waiting and guessing,” Leavitt said.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 19:00(19:00 GMT)
Without sanctions relief, Iran cannot offer ‘meaningful solutions’
Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East studies programme at George Washington University, says Iran, without sanctions relief, “cannot offer any meaningful solutions to the many grievances of [its] people”.
The protests in Iran began in late December largely over people’s outrage at Iran’s dire economic state.
“The economic issue; the water crisis, which needs foreign investment; the energy crisis, which again requires investment – without sanctions relief, they cannot offer a solution. They either have to constantly, every once in a while, crack down on their own people or find a solution with the Americans,” Azodi told Al Jazeera.
“I think this actually works perfectly for the US because sanctions are showing their results,” he added.
- 12 Jan 2026 - 18:55(18:55 GMT)
Iran’s public and private messages diverge: White House
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that Iran is sending a different message to US President Donald Trump behind closed doors.
“What the Iranian regime is saying publicly is quite different than the messages they are sending to the United States and the Trump administration privately,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.
She did not elaborate on the nature of the conversations.
Iran protests updates: Trump slaps US tariff on Iran’s trading partners
Move comes after Iran’s FM says communication open with the US, warns against military action.
Iran’s Pezeshkian vows action on economic woes, warns against ‘rioters’
Published On 12 Jan 2026
This live page is closed.
- US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that any country doing business with Iran will face a 25 percent tariff when doing business with the US, effecitve immediately.
- The tariff comes after Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran, warning he has “very strong” options, including military, as his administration is in contact with Iranian opposition leaders.
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that his government is currently “studying” proposals sent by the US and that communications remain open between him and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
- He says US President Donald Trump’s warning against Tehran of military action if protests turned bloody motivated “terrorists” to target protesters and security forces to invite foreign intervention.
- Iran’s government declares three days of national mourning for the “martyrs” killed in two weeks of protests, including members of security forces.
- More than 100 security personnel have been killed in recent days, state media report, while opposition activists say the death toll is higher and includes hundreds of protesters. Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these figures.
