ISTANBUL

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday evening that contacts between him and US envoy Steve Witkoff “continued before and after the protests, and are still ongoing.”

Iran is “ready for all options,” Araghchi told the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television.

The top diplomat expressed hope that Washington would choose “the wise option,” amid ongoing exchanges between the two sides.

“Some ideas are on the table with Washington and are currently being studied” by Tehran, he said, without giving further details.

However, he stressed that “it is not possible to combine the ideas proposed by Washington with its launching of threats against our country.”

On the possibility of a direct meeting with Witkoff, Araghchi said “there are ideas being discussed.”

The foreign minister said Tehran will not allow “foreign-backed terrorist groups, especially Israel, to continue their activities.”

“The US and Israel are seeking, through unrest, to reach what they did not achieve through war,” he added.

'We are ready to sit at the nuclear negotiating table'

Araghchi underlined that while the government “had acknowledged protests,” he said it was “negotiating with” representatives of the demonstrators.

Noting that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had met with representatives, he added, however, that "trained terrorist elements" had infiltrated the crowds and "targeted security forces and demonstrators."

On diplomacy, the foreign minister said, “We are ready to sit at the nuclear negotiating table provided this is done without threats or dictates.”

But, "we do not believe Washington is ready for fair and just negotiations," said Araghchi, adding that when this changes, "we will study the matter seriously."

Warning of escalation, he said that if Washington “wants to test the military option that it tested previously," Iran is "ready for it."

“We have significant and extensive military readiness compared to what existed during the last war,” he added.

Communication aimed to ease tensions before US action: Report

The protests began in Iran last month amid worsening economic conditions and a record depreciation of the national currency, the rial, which has fallen to 145,000 against the US dollar, driving up prices of essential goods.

The unrest came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US, with reports indicating that President Donald Trump, who had previously vowed to “come to the rescue” of Iranian protesters, is considering “several options to support the protests.”

Meanwhile, US media reports indicated that Araghchi had reached out to Witkoff over the weekend.

The communication aimed to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington or to buy time before the US took concrete action, news outlet Axios reported, citing two separate sources.

Meanwhile, protests were staged in several areas across Iran on Monday to show support to the government, as anti-government demonstrations entered their 16th day over worsening economic conditions in the country.

There are no official casualty figures from the ongoing protests, but HRANA, a US-based rights group, estimates that the death toll has reached at least 544, including both security forces and protesters, with over 1,000 injured.

HRANA also reported that at least 10,681 people have been detained across protests in 585 locations nationwide, including 186 cities in all 31 provinces.

* Contributions by Yasin Gungor from Istanbul