Trump says US looking at “strong options” on Iran  

The U.S. military is weighing up “strong options” over the crackdown on protesters by Iran’s authorities, President Donald Trump has said, fueling speculation of an intervention by Washington. 

With hundreds of anti-government protesters reported killed in unrest which has been gathering momentum since December 28, the president said that Iran’s leadership had called “to negotiate” following his previous threats of military action in the Islamic Republic. 

But Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he might have to act before any meeting. 

Before Trump’s latest warning, exiled Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi told Newsweek he strongly welcomed the U.S. president’s comments, adding “there is a real opportunity now for Iranians to finally take their country back.” 

Newsweek has contacted the Iranian Foreign Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

Protests in Iran, which were triggered by anger at the state of the economy, have morphed into a wider movement that poses one of the biggest ever threats to the country’s clerical rulers.  

Trump’s latest comments repeat warnings he had issued toward Tehran about violence in suppressing protesters and carry weight given his order for strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities in 2025 and his removal of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro.  

What To Know

On Air Force One on Sunday, Trump was asked by reporters about what the U.S. might do about the unfolding protests in Iran in which activists have said at least 544 people have been killed, and more than 10,600 arrested, The Associated Press reported.  

Trump said Tehran had proposed negotiations and that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Iranian officials but cautioned that he may have to act first amid reports of a rising death toll among the protesters. 

When asked if Iran’s authorities had crossed a red line, Trump replied, “they’re starting to” and that the U.S. military was looking into options for intervention.

“We’ll make a determination,” he added. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that the protests had “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for Trump to intervene, but that “the situation has come under total control” without offering evidence for his claims.   

Meanwhile, Pahlavi, the exiled son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, told Newsweek in emailed comments that he welcomed Trump’s “clear warnings to the criminal leaders of the Islamic Republic.” 

He called for governments around the world to “stand clearly with the Iranian people’s right to self-determination, stop appeasing this regime, and support a peaceful transition driven from within.”  

What People Are Saying 

President Donald Trump: “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.” 

Exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, to Newsweek: “The conditions inside Iran and the growing attentiveness of the international community are aligning. When the Iranian people are supported—not sidelined—in their fight for liberty, the outcome becomes inevitable.” 

What Happens Next 

Protests are expected to continue. Trump and his national security team have been considering responses such as cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions cited by the AP.