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US President Donald Trump said he is considering military operations in Iran, as he warned that the Islamic republic is beginning to cross its red lines amid an escalating crackdown on nationwide protests.
“The military is looking at this, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump said Sunday on Air Force One as he flew from Florida to Washington.
Asked whether Iran had crossed its red line for interference, Trump responded that “they’re starting to do that, it seems”. He said he would “take a determination” and “we are looking at (the situation in Iran) very seriously”.
Trump has repeatedly said the US is prepared to “rescue” Iranians if authorities there kill protesters as weeks of unrest pose the biggest domestic threat to the Islamic regime in years. On Friday he said he would hit Iran “very hard where it hurts.”
The US president said the Iranian leadership called on Saturday and wanted to talk with Washington. The US and Iran were working on a meeting schedule, but Trump said Washington could intervene before any session could take place.
“I think they’re tired of being beaten by the United States,” he said. “A meeting is being held but we may have to take action because of what is happening before the meeting.” He said that America is also in contact with Iranian opposition leaders.
Trump said he was getting hourly reports on Iran, adding that across the country “it looks like some people have been killed who shouldn’t have been killed”.
He said that protesters “were under siege, and now it looks like they are being shot at”, as well as being killed in the stampede.
Activist groups have estimated that 200 to 500 people have been killed since protests began in Iran in late December, including dozens of members of the security forces, and thousands have been detained.
Videos posted online reportedly showed protesters taking to the streets on Sunday as well. It was not possible to verify the information due to Iran’s internet blackout.
Trump said his administration was discussing a near-complete blackout, which took effect Thursday, and that Washington could move to “turn the internet on” if possible. Trump said he would call Starlink satellite broadband network owner Elon Musk to discuss Iran.
Officials said Washington has not yet deployed additional troops or jets to the region and the US does not have any aircraft carriers in the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, departed the Mediterranean Sea for the Caribbean in November to focus on Venezuela.
According to a tracker from the US Naval Institute, there were six US warships in the gulf as of January 5, including three guided-missile destroyers.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday the government would “sit down and listen” to people’s concerns, but he also blamed “rioters” and the US and Israel for instigating the protests.
“It is our responsibility to resolve their concerns,” he said in an interview on Iranian television. “But the bigger responsibility is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy an entire society. These are not people. They do not belong in this country.”
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf warned the US on Sunday against “miscalculations”. He told lawmakers: “We must be clear: in the event of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (of Israel) as well as all American bases and ships would be our legitimate targets.”
The demonstrations were sparked by economic grievances – including Iran’s falling currency – as shoppers protested against rising prices. Those protests have since escalated into nationwide anti-regime demonstrations.
The US has less than 40,000 troops and personnel in the Middle East. It operates eight permanent bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and has access to 11 additional military sites, including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
The largest US base is Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where US Central Command, which is responsible for military operations throughout the Middle East, is the regional headquarters. In June, Tehran fired missiles at Al Udeid in retaliation for the US bombing of Iran’s main nuclear facilities.
Trump said that if Iran retaliated against any military action by attacking U.S. bases, Washington would “attack targets they won’t trust. If they do, we will attack them at a level they have never been attacked before.”
White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said Sunday that Trump has been considering a number of options regarding Iran for several days and has scheduled a meeting with senior advisers for Tuesday.
Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington and Andrew England in London
