Jan. 11 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump has been presented with options to intervene in Iran as massive protests there have turned deadly, with hundreds dead and thousands arrested.
Trump has been briefed on methods to intervene in government violence against Iranians protesting their leaders, some of which include military strikes on Iranian security and military sites, CNN, Axios, NBC and CBS reported on Sunday.
All four news organizations confirmed that in the last few days, as security forces in Iran have turned toward violence against the still growing protests, Trump has reviewed a range of options — from new sanctions and cyber operations to targeting cyberweapons and other military strikes against the country’s government.
He has not made a decision yet, but is expected to meet on Tuesday with top diplomatic, military and defense advisors to continue reviewing options, the Washington Post reported.
Trump over the last week has threatened to intervene if the Iranian government continues killing protesters as it cracks down on civil unrest amid a collapsing economy and general dissatisfaction with the regime there.
“Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The protests started on Dec. 28 as runaway inflation devalued Iran’s currency to the point that food and essential items started becoming difficult to afford.
Additionally, a combination of drought and water mismanagement has caused shortages throughout Iran’s capital city, Tehran, further inflaming the discontent.
In an effort to quell the unrest, Iranian officials cut the Internet — including Starlink service — to disrupt efforts to organize protests.
Among the options that Trump is considering, according to reports, is bolstering Starlink signal in Iran, similar to the Biden administration’s efforts to do so in 2022 when protests broke out there, CNN reported.
Since mid-week, as protests have spread to more than 100 cities and grown larger and louder, more reports of deaths have emerged since Thursday — first in the dozens, then reaching the low hundreds on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said that at least 538 people have been killed since the protests started — reports that have been echoed by other human rights groups, according to NBC.
The HRANA also reported that more than 10,000 people have been arrested, including 169 children, since the demonstrations started, CNN reported.
While an Israeli official on Saturday said that at least 1,000 protesters have lost their lives since the protests started, an Iranian opposition TV channel reported that 2,000 protesters had been killed in just the previous 48 hours, Axios reported, noting that the numbers have not been confirmed.
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