• Trump considers range of options, including military action against Iran.
• Iran warns it will strike US military and shipping targets if attacked.
• Trump to meet senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss Iran options.

The situation in Iran is “under total control” after violence linked to protests spiked over the weekend, the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday via English translation.

“We are ready for war but also for dialogue,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday in a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran via English translation.

He added that Trump’s warning against Tehran of action should protests turn bloody had motivated “terrorists” to target protesters and security forces in order to invite foreign intervention.

FM Araqchi’s response came after Trump said that he was considering potential military action against Iran, amid mounting mass anti-government protests in the country.

“They’re starting to, it looks like,” Trump said, when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if Iran had crossed his previously stated red line of protesters being killed.

“We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he said.

He also said that Iran’s leadership had called seeking “to negotiate” after his threats of military action.

“The leaders of Iran called” yesterday, Trump said, adding that “a meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate.”

However, Trump added that “we may have to act before a meeting.”

Meanwhile, China said on Monday it hopes the Iranian government and people would be able to overcome the current difficulties the country faces and maintain stability, referring to deadly protests taking place in the oil-rich Middle Eastern nation.

China opposes the use of force or the threat of it in international relations matters, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said when responding to a media question about US President Donald Trump’s threat to intervene with military on behalf of the protesters.

“We have always opposed interference in other countries’ internal affairs and consistently advocated that the sovereignty and security of all nations should be fully protected by international law,” spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing.

Trump to meet senior advisers

Trump was to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, a US official told Reuters on Sunday.

The Wall Street Journal had reported that options included military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.

Earlier, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Washington against “a miscalculation.”

“Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

Iranian president calls for ‘national resistance march’

The Iranian government declared three days of national mourning for “martyrs” including members of the security forces killed in two weeks of protests, state television reported on Sunday.

The government described the fight against what it has termed “riots” as an “Iranian national resistance battle against America and the Zionist regime”, using the clerical leadership’s term for Israel, which the Islamic Republic does not recognise.

President Masoud Pezeshkian urged people to take part in a “national resistance march” of nationwide rallies on Monday to denounce the violence, which the government said was committed by “urban terrorist criminals”, state television reported.

Protests have swelled in recent days despite an internet blackout that has lasted more than 72 hours, according to monitor Netblocks. Activists have warned that the shutdown is limiting the flow of information and that the actual toll risks being far higher.

Meanwhile, unrest in Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said on Sunday.

According to its latest figures, from activists inside and outside Iran, the US-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest.

Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since a student-led revolt overthrew former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, ending her 15-year autocratic rule.

The Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people will hold its first elections since the uprising on February 12.

Here are the key players in a vote that European Union election observers say will be the “biggest democratic process of 2026, anywhere”.

Interim government

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 85, returned from exile in August 2024 at the behest of protesters to lead a caretaker government as “chief advisor”. He will step down after the polls.

Yunus said he inherited a “completely broken” political system, and championed a reform charter he argues is vital to prevent a return to authoritarian rule.

A referendum on the proposed changes will be held on the same day. He says the reforms will strengthen checks and balances between the executive, judicial and legislative branches.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) 

The BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, 60, is widely tipped to win the election, after he returned from 17 years of self-imposed exile in December 2025.

His mother, the BNP´s veteran leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, died aged 80, days after his return.

A BNP-led alliance includes both leftist and centrist parties, as well as small Islamist groups.

Islamist-led alliance

Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest and best-organised Islamist party, ideologically aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, is seeking a return to formal politics after years of bans and crackdowns under Hasina’s 15-year rule.

Jamaat is leading an alliance of more than 10 smaller parties, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising.

It also includes the small Liberal Democratic Party, as well as fringe Islamist parties, most of which held only a handful of seats in previous parliaments.

Bangladesh — one of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority countries after Indonesia and Pakistan — is home to diverse strands of Islamic practice, including a significant Sufi community often condemned by hardline Islamists.

Around 10% of Bangladeshis are not Muslim — the majority of those are Hindu and the country is also home to a small number of Christians.

Awami League

Hasina, 78, a fugitive in India, was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity in November.

Her former ruling Awami League, once the country´s most popular party, has been outlawed.

Loyalists may run as independent candidates, but it is unclear who the party’s once sizable membership will back.

Human Rights Watch condemned the ban as “draconian”, while Hasina has warned that holding elections without her party would be “sowing the seeds” of further division.

Army

In a country with a long history of military coups, the army remains a pivotal force.

It played a decisive factor in Hasina’s downfall, choosing not to intervene against the protests.

The military continues to patrol the streets, maintaining a visible presence alongside the police.

International players

Regional powers have taken a keen interest.

Bangladesh’s relations with India — once Hasina´s strongest ally — have cooled.

Yunus’ first state visit was to China, signalling a strategic shift, while Dhaka has also deepened engagement with Pakistan, India’s arch-rival.

• Home Dept confirms change made in unusual out-of-cycle review.
• Four countries shifted from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3.
• These four countries accounted for third of int’l enrolments last year.

Australia has tightened scrutiny of student visa applications from three countries, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, after moving the four South Asian countries into its highest risk category, citing what it described as “emerging integrity issues”, Australian media reported.

The Home Affairs Department confirmed that on January 8, 2026, the Evidence Levels of several South Asian nations were changed in an unusual out-of-cycle review. The four countries were shifted from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3, a move that places them in the highest risk group under Australia’s Simplified Student Visa Framework.

Together, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan accounted for nearly one-third of all international student enrolments last year. A Home Affairs spokesperson said the changes were aimed at better managing integrity risks while continuing to support genuine students.

“This change will assist with the effective management of emerging integrity issues, while continuing to facilitate genuine students seeking a quality education in Australia,” the spokesperson said. He added that the government wanted international students to have confidence that they were investing in a high-quality education system.

Former Immigration Department deputy secretary Dr Abul Rizvi described the move as “highly unusual”, noting that Evidence Levels are normally updated only once a year. Under the framework, countries are assessed based on factors such as fraud-related refusals, visa cancellations, unlawful overstays and subsequent refugee applications.

An Evidence Level 3 rating means both applicants and education providers must provide more detailed documentation on financial capacity and academic history. Dr Rizvi said this would lead to greater manual checks, including verification of transcripts and financial statements, and would slow processing times.

The change follows a visit to India last month by country’s Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill, who met Home Affairs officials on the ground. 

Dr Rizvi said authorities may have run special data checks after identifying a rise in concerning cases.

While the government has not changed its national planning level of 295,000 student places for 2026, Dr Rizvi said higher refusal rates from the affected countries would require more students to be sourced from elsewhere.