WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s leadership had called him seeking “to negotiate” after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters.

For two weeks, Iran has been rocked by a protest movement that has swelled in spite of a crackdown rights groups warn has become a “massacre.”

As reports emerge of a growing protest death toll, and images show bodies piled outside a morgue, Trump said Tehran indicated its willingness to talk.

“The leaders of Iran called” yesterday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that “a meeting is being set up... They want to negotiate.”

He added, however, that “we may have to act before a meeting.”

Initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, the demonstrations have evolved into a serious challenge of the theocratic system in place since the 1979 revolution.

The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said it had received “eyewitness accounts and credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed across Iran during the current internet shutdown.”

The Norway-based non-government organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but that the actual toll could be much higher.

“Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundreds, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed,” said IHR.

More than 2,600 protesters have been arrested, IHR estimates.

A video circulating on Sunday showed dozens of bodies accumulating outside a morgue south of Tehran.

The footage, geolocated by Agence France-Presse (AFP) to Kahrizak, showed bodies wrapped in black bags, with what appeared to be grieving relatives searching for loved ones.

Near paralysis

In Tehran, an AFP journalist described a city in a state of near paralysis.

The price of meat has nearly doubled since the start of the protests, and many shops are closed. Those that do open must close at around 4 or 5 p.m., when security forces deploy en masse.

There were fewer videos showing protests on social media Sunday, but it was not clear to what extent that was due to the internet shutdown.

One widely shared video showed protesters again gathering in the Pounak district of Tehran shouting slogans in favor of the ousted monarchy.

The protests have become one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel’s 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the US.

State TV has aired images of burning buildings, including a mosque, as well as funeral processions for security personnel.