Australians have been told to leave Iran “now” as the death toll from the religious regime’s violent crackdown on protesters rose to more than 600.

Demonstrations in the past two weeks ⁠evolved from complaints about dire economic hardships and calls for the fall of the clerical establishment.

It came as Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was prepared for war  — “even more prepared than before the previous war” — but was also ready for negotiations.

Human rights groups have raised the alarm at the “mass killing” of protesters by the Islamic Republic, with reports emerging of rows and rows of body bags and overflowing morgues.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights put the death toll at 648 on Monday.

“The international community has a duty to protect civilian protesters against mass killing by the Islamic republic,” IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said.

“According to some estimates more than 6000 may have been killed.”

The Australian government’s travel advisory warns that airspace closures and flight cancellations could soon happen in Iran, making it impossible to leave later.

Australia’s embassy operations have also been suspended.

“We continue to advise do not travel to Iran. If you remain in Iran against our advice, you’re responsible for your own safety,” said the Smartraveller advisory update on Monday.

“The security situation in Iran is extremely volatile. If this deteriorates further, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions may occur at short notice.

“There’s a blackout of telecommunications including the internet. There’s ongoing violent nationwide protests that may escalate further.

“Security forces’ response to protests has been severe, and many protesters and bystanders have been injured, killed or detained.

“Avoid public gatherings and protests. Australians, including dual nationals, are at a high risk of being detained.”

The protests, which have been bubbling for weeks, pose one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s clerical rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran has weathered past waves of protests with crackdowns like the current bloody suppression.

But this time the leadership is facing nationwide demonstrations that ⁠evolved from complaints about dire economic hardships to defiant calls for the fall of the clerical establishment.

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 since the protests began on December 28.

Iran has not given an official toll and Reuters was unable to independently verify the tallies.

The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday (local time).

Trump said on Sunday that Iran had called to negotiate on its nuclear program. Israel and the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war in June.

“Iran wants to negotiate, yes. We might meet with them. A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what is happening before the meeting, but a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” he said on Air Force One.

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

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

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,” Qalibaf said.

Tehran is still recovering from 2025’s war, and its regional clout has been much weakened by blows to allies such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah since the October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel.

Israel also killed ‍top Iranian military commanders in the June war.

Iranian authorities accused the US and Israel of fomenting trouble and called for a nationwide rally on Monday to condemn “terrorist actions led by the United States and Israel”, state media reported.

Araqchi ​said ​the situation in Iran was “under total control” after violence linked to protests spiked at the weekend.

He said ​Trump’s warning against Tehran of action if protests turned bloody had motivated what he called terrorists to target protesters and ​security forces to invite foreign intervention.

The protests began in response to soaring prices, before turning against the clerical rulers who have governed for more than 45 years.

Iranians have grown increasingly resentful of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, whose business interests including oil and gas, construction and telecommunications are worth billions of dollars.

Footage posted on social media on Saturday from Tehran showed large crowds marching at night, clapping and chanting.

The crowd “has no end nor beginning”, a man is heard saying.

Trump said on Sunday he would talk to Elon Musk about restoring internet access in Iran through his Starlink satellite service.

Araqchi said internet service would be resumed in co-ordination with security authorities.