'Considering Very Strong Options': Trump On Military Actions Against Iran, 2nd Threat In 24 Hours

New Delhi: As the Ayatollah regime in Iran cracks down on protesters in Iran, US President Donald Trump said that “leaders” of the Middle Eastern country have called him, asking to negotiate and a meeting is being set up too. However, Trump did not rule out military action against Iran saying that the US may have to “act” before the meeting, and is looking at “very strong options.”

"The leaders of Iran called, they want to negotiate. I think they are tired of getting beat up by the United States. Iran wants to negotiate, we may meet with them, a meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what's happening, before the meeting," Trump said speaking to reporters at Air Force One.

In response to a question from a reporter about the developments in Iran and whether the regime has crossed its line in quelling the protests, Trump said, “It looks like (the line has been crossed). Some people were killed, who were not supposed to be killed. If you talk about leaders, I don’t know if they are leaders or just rule through violence. But we are looking at it very seriously, the military is looking at it, and we are considering some very strong options, we'll make a determination.”

When asked about the US' tactical military options in Iran, Trump snapped back saying, “Why would I tell you when we will attack, which angle we will take

On restoring internet connections in Iran where authorities have blacked out services amid the ongoing anti-government protests through billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink, Trump said, "We are going to be talking about that. We may get the internet going. We may speak to Elon Musk, I am going to call him."

The US President however got irritated at a question by CNN about whether Iran is taking the open threats from him seriously. “Wouldn't you say that they probably do at this point, after going through it for years with me?” he hit back, reasoning, “Soleimani, Al-Baghdadi, the Iran nuclear threat wiped out. What a stupid question?”

Speaking on the probable military actions in Iran, Trump said that he is getting hourly reports and the US is going to make “a determination very soon.” 

Briefs About Military Strike On Iran

According to a New York Times report, Trump was briefed on a range of military options targeting Iran. The options presented to Trump include targeted strikes on select sites in Tehran, including non-military infrastructure linked to the regime's internal security apparatus, the report further said. The briefings are said to be part of contingency planning as the administration evaluates diplomatic, economic and military tools to deter further violence by Iranian authorities.

Protests In Iran

Iran has been reeling under large-scale protests against rising inflation and economic hardship for the last 15 days. The government has cracked down on the protests, marked by violent clashes between protesters and security forces.

As per the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), during the anti-government demonstrations, at least 544 people were reportedly killed, while dozens of other cases are still being investigated. Around 10,681 individuals have been taken into custody and transferred to prisons, with demonstrations reported at 585 locations nationwide, covering 186 cities across all 31 provinces.

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