Dutch PM urges Iran to stop violence, free detainees and restore internet

Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin condemned the “brutal and violent suppression” of protesters in Iran and urged Tehran to end the crackdown.

Martin said the repression had left hundreds of civilians dead in recent days and added that Iranians had a fundamental right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression, according to a statement issued by the government of Ireland.

He urged authorities in Tehran to uphold the rights of all citizens and called for an end to violence and restrictions on basic freedoms.

“The violence must stop, the curtailing of basic freedoms must end, and dialogue begin at once,” Martin said.

Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that a communication channel between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff remains open, after Trump said Tehran had reached out about possible talks.

“The communication channel between Mr Araghchi and the US president’s special representative is open, and whenever necessary, messages are exchanged through that channel,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

He added that Iran remained committed to diplomacy. “We have always adhered to the principle of diplomacy and negotiation, of course a negotiation that is two-sided,” he said.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that Iran had contacted the United States and proposed holding talks on a nuclear deal.

German lawmaker Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann on Monday called on the European Union to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

“The Iranian Revolutionary Guard must be placed on the EU’s terror list as soon as possible,” she wrote on X. “It is a major failure that this has not happened yet. Contrary to previous claims, this is possible – and there is truly enough evidence.”

Strack-Zimmermann chairs the European Parliament’s defence committee.

Iran’s clerical leadership has dismissed Trump’s calls to stop killing protesters and bears responsibility for the violence, said Marshall S. Billingslea, a former US special envoy and assistant secretary of the treasury for terrorist financing.

“The mullahs in Tehran have clearly decided to ignore President Trump’s repeated warnings to not kill protestors,” he wrote.“They are soaking their hands in blood.”

“I suspect they may soon ‘find out,’” he said, without elaborating on what consequences he was referring to.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned violence against Iranian protesters, calling it a sign of the government’s weakness.

Merz said during a visit to India on Monday that the use of “disproportionate and brutal violence” against protesters was “a sign of weakness.”

“We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms,” Merz said. “This violence is not an expression of strength, but rather a sign of weakness. This violence must end.”