- US monitors Iran unrest amid nationwide protests against the theocratic regime
- Trump hints at strong US options including military, cyberattacks, and Starlink aid
- US cautious on strikes due to risk of regime cohesion and broader conflict escalation
US President Donald Trump has said that the United States is closely monitoring the unrest in Iran and is mulling "potential options" as the Islamic Republic faces its third week of nationwide protests-- the largest since 2022-- against the theocratic regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"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," Trump told reporters Sunday as he returned to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago home on Sunday.
The nationwide protests across Iran, sparked by a currency crisis and economic collapse, have been increasingly aimed at the ruling system and have become the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. According to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency, over 540 people have been killed in Iranian protests, and over 10,000 arrests have been made across all of Iran's 31 provinces.
Communications remain largely cut off, as the internet shutdown touched the 84-hour mark on Monday, making it difficult to track the full scope of the protest movement. While President Masoud Pezeshkian has struck a conciliatory tone and urged dialogue, other officials have warned of swift trials and even the death penalty as unrest spread and fatalities mounted.
Trump's Open Support For Protestors
Trump has been openly backing protesters and hinting at US military action against the regime of Supreme Leader Khamenei, unsettling allies and rivals alike. On January 2, he said that the US was "locked and loaded" as he warned the Iranian regime not to kill peaceful protesters. Then on Friday, he said the US would "start shooting" if authorities opened fire on demonstrators.
"Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!" Trump posted on social media on Saturday.
He, however, also accepted that Iran's leadership had called him seeking "to negotiate" after his repeated threats but added that the US may have to act before a meeting.
"The leaders of Iran called" yesterday, and "a meeting is being set up... They want to negotiate," he said.
But, "we may have to act before a meeting," he added.
If the US attacks Iran, it would be the second time Trump has authorised an aerial strike on the country. In August, B-2 stealth bombers heavily damaged three of the Iranian nuclear sites, setting back the regime's nuclear programme.
What Are US Opinions In Iran
Non-Kinetic Option: According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, US military and diplomatic officials will brief Trump on Tuesday about options for Iran, including cyberattacks and potential military action.
One option reportedly under discussion is the possibility of the US sending terminals of Starlink, a satellite-based internet service owned by Elon Musk, into Iran to help protesters skirt the internet shutdown in the country. Trump said he would speak with Musk about sending Starlink satellite-internet terminals into Iran.
Politico also reported that Trump is considering non-kinetic measures, including cyber and covert action, as the US is not expected to send American forces into the country, and there has been no major movement of US military assets.
Other possible actions for the US include military strikes, deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on Iran's government and boosting anti-government sources online.
Why Trump May Not Go For Military Strike
Trump, in recent days, has also left open the possibility of American intervention in Iran. But the obvious potential for US targets has reportedly led the leading Revolutionary Guard figures, as well as Khamenei, to strengthen their personal security precautions, making a decapitation strategy harder.
Even a "symbolic" kinetic strike by the US on Iran could trigger a "much broader escalation," CNBC reported, quoting Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies.
"The dilemma is at its peak: a strong strike could potentially undermine the regime's repression efforts, but at the same time it might lead to greater cohesion within the regime and a broader escalation," Citrinowicz said.
"Given the absence of leadership in the opposition, such a strike may achieve an operational success but not a strategic one," he added.
Several US senators have also sounded notes of caution on direct military action. "I don't know that bombing Iran will have the effect that is intended," Republican Senator Rand Paul said on ABC News' "This Week" show.
Rather than undermining the regime, a military attack on Iran could rally the people against an outside enemy, Paul and Democratic Senator Mark Warner said.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has often touted a muscular approach to foreign policy, also said Trump "needs to embolden the protesters and scare the hell out of the [Iranian] regime."
"If I were you, Mr President, I would kill the leadership that is killing the people," Graham said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" show. "You've got to end this."
Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of the Iranian shah who was ousted in 1979, has said he is prepared to return to Iran to lead a shift to a democratic government.
"I'm already planning on that," Pahlavi said on "Sunday Morning Futures". "My job is to lead this transition to make sure that no stone is left unturned, that in full transparency, people have an opportunity to elect their leaders freely and to decide their own future."
