President Donald Trump has been weighing a range of options against Iran amid the country’s crackdown on protesters that human rights groups say has killed more than 500 people.
Trump has said publicly that he may take action if Iranian leaders killed protesters challenging Iran’s theocracy, as demonstrations entered their second week despite an increasingly aggressive crackdown.
According to three U.S. officials, the president has been presented with preliminary plans ranging from possible strikes to other options that would not entail military action. No final decision has been made, the officials said.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening as it approached Washington, D.C., Trump said he’s receiving hourly reports on violence against protesters. The president said a meeting with Iran's leadership was in the works after officials from the country "called to negotiate" on Saturday.
"The leaders of Iran, they want to negotiate," Trump said. "I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States. Iran wants to negotiate with us."
The president added that ongoing bloodshed could nudge the United States to act before a meeting could take place.
"We may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting," Trump said.
In a brief interview with NBC News on Sunday night, Trump said he’s being briefed on the situation on the ground in Iran on the hour “or less.” Asked if a U.S. response could happen in the coming days, the president said, “It could happen.”
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Sunday that at least 544 people have been killed. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights also cited unverified reports that several hundred people may have been killed.
An internet blackout in Iran has made it difficult for journalists and human rights groups to independently verify reports from inside the country.
Iran warned Trump on Sunday that Israeli and U.S. military bases in the region could be considered “legitimate targets” if a strike goes ahead.
“If the United States launches a military attack, both the occupied territory and U.S. military and maritime centers will be our legitimate targets,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Sunday in remarks aired on Iranian state television, referring to Israel as the occupied territory.
“Within the framework of legitimate defense, we do not limit ourselves to reacting after an attack,” he added.
Trump responded with his own threats as he spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One.
"If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before. I have options that are so strong," the president said. "If they did that, they would be met with a very powerful force."
Trump last week threatened military intervention if Iran moves to crush the protests. Addressing its leaders Friday, he said: “You better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting, too.” He offered further support for the protesters Saturday, saying on Truth Social: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
“Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it,” the State Department said separately.
The Israeli military said Sunday that it is monitoring developments in Iran and will be able to “respond with power if need be.”
The demonstrations, which were sparked by economic grievances two weeks ago as the currency crashed and inflation soared, have now morphed into one of the biggest challenges the Islamic Republic has faced in its 47-year history, as thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand the ouster of the ruling clergy.
In an address on Iranian state TV on Sunday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to sow chaos and disorder in Iran, urging people to distance themselves from “rioters and terrorists.”
Gen. Ahmad-Reza Radan, the commander in chief of Iran’s police force, said Sunday that an “enhanced” response to the protests was now in place, according to Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency. He said a number of arrests had taken place on Saturday.
The Iranian government has not released data on how many protesters have been detained, but the Human Rights Activists News Agency advocacy group reports at least 10,681 people have been arrested during the protests, which it said have spanned 585 locations in 186 cities around the country's 31 provinces.
Iran’s Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said Saturday that protesters would be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge in Iran, in remarks reported by Iranian media. The country’s chief justice said Sunday that there would be “no leniency” toward those involved in the unrest and that judges have been designated to deal with cases across the country, according to state media.
Internet blackouts in Iran continued into Sunday, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group. Amnesty International has called the blackouts an attempt by authorities “to hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush nationwide protests.”
Security forces sent text messages to people suspected of attending “illegal gatherings,” Iranian state media said Saturday, warning them they have been identified as participants using location data and that covering their faces with masks won’t help avoid detection.
The internet blackout has made it difficult for international media to gauge the extent of the protests, but footage verified by NBC News showed hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered at Kaj Square in Tehran, clapping and shouting the name of their country.
Another verified video showed hundreds of protesters gathered in Tehran’s Ponak Square, chanting, playing music and waving their phone flashlights in the air. Other footage showed scores had also gathered in the city’s Heravi Square, singing and clapping their hands as they marched through the streets.
It is unclear if the videos were taken on Friday or Saturday night. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard-aligned media claimed that Saturday was a “calm” night across the country, with security forces having “put the rioters back in their place.”
Solidarity protests took place in France, Germany and the United Kingdom as many Iranians living in Europe offered their support to their compatriots inside Iran. Michael Mohkam, a 78-year-old Iranian living in France, said he hoped for change so that expatriates could one day return home.
“I’ve been living here for 48 years. But my soul and body are in my home country,” Mohkam said. “When I left Iran to come here to pursue my studies, I left a magnificent paradise.”
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, continued to encourage the protesters on Sunday after earlier calling for them to prepare to seize city centers across Iran.
Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S. and has emerged as a figurehead for some of the protesters, touted Trump’s support in a post on X Sunday and promised to be with the protesters “soon.”
