Trump cancels talks with Iran, 297 'thugs' detained during protests

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on "Iranians patriots" to keep protesting, promising "help is on the way," as Iran's Public Security Police Chief Seyed Majid Feiz Jafari said his forces have detained 297 "thugs" linked to the recent "riots" in the country.

Trump said that he has cancelled "all meetings" with Iranian officials. The announcement came one day after the president announced that any country doing business with Iran would pay a tariff rate of 25 percent on any business conducted with the United States.

The U.S. president has also said more military action is among options he is weighing to punish Iran over the protest.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday urged American citizens to leave Iran now including by land through Türkiye or Armenia.

 297 'thugs' detained

Iran's Public Security Police Chief Seyed Majid Feiz Jafari said on Tuesday his forces have detained 297 "thugs" linked to what he described as "riots" in the country.

Jafari made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB news agency, stressing that the detainees were Israel- and U.S.-adjacent organizations involved in inciting recent "riots."

The detainees caused damage to religious places, government buildings and public property, and looted people's belongings during the "riots," Jafari said.

The operation came as protests erupted in many Iranian cities beginning on December 28, 2025. The spark was a sharp devaluation of the national currency, rial, and soaring inflation. Economic grievances among Tehran's bazaar merchants led to the first protests, which soon spread to other cities. The unrest ensued in casualties among both security forces and civilians.

Diplomacy urged

The United Nations is concerned about the increase of military-like rhetoric around the situation in Iran, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said on Tuesday.

"Of course we're very concerned about the increase of military-like rhetoric that we're seeing around the Iranian situation," Dujarric said at a daily briefing.

"It is imperative that all (UN) member states push for diplomacy as opposed to military rhetoric," he said.

Iranian UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani on Tuesday asked the UN secretary-general and the Security Council to condemn the United States for inciting violence and threatening to use force against his country.

Russia on Tuesday condemned "subversive external interference" in Iran's internal politics, saying any repeat of last year's U.S. strikes would have "disastrous consequences" for the Middle East and international security.

Meanwhile, intensive contacts have taken place in recent days between Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as well as the contacts reported in media between Araghchi and the U.S. envoy, Qatar News Agency reported.

(With input from agencies)