{"id":639,"date":"2026-01-12T14:36:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T07:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=639"},"modified":"2026-01-12T14:36:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T07:36:41","slug":"trump-says-us-weighing-tough-options-on-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=639","title":{"rendered":"Trump Says US Weighing Tough Options on Iran","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"
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US President Donald Trump<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> said Washington is considering \u201cvery strong options\u201d in response to Iran\u2019s violent crackdown on anti-government protests, including the possibility of military intervention.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday, Trump said the US military is actively reviewing scenarios. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we\u2019re looking at some very strong options,\u201d he said, adding that a decision would be made soon.<\/p>\n

Trump also claimed Iranian leaders had reached out to seek negotiations following his warnings, saying a meeting was being arranged. However, he cautioned that the US \u201cmay have to act before a meeting\u201d takes place.<\/p>\n

There was no immediate response from Tehran to Trump\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n

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Iran Warns of Retaliation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Earlier on Sunday, Iran\u2019s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> issued a warning against any foreign military action.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,\u201d Qalibaf said.<\/p>\n

The protests in Iran<\/span><\/span><\/strong> began on December 28 after merchants at Tehran\u2019s Grand Bazaar shut their shops to protest the sharp fall in the value of the Iranian rial. Demonstrations quickly spread nationwide, with grievances expanding from rising living costs to broader opposition to Iran\u2019s clerical leadership, in power since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.<\/p>\n

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Casualties and Internet Shutdown<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Iranian state media says at least 109 security personnel have been killed during the unrest. Opposition activists outside the country claim the death toll is higher and includes hundreds of protesters, though these figures cannot be independently verified.<\/p>\n

Monitoring groups report that a nationwide internet blackout has lasted more than 72 hours, further limiting information from inside the country.<\/p>\n

\"Trump<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s President Masoud Pezeshkian<\/span><\/span><\/strong> said on Sunday that his government is \u201cready to listen\u201d to protesters, while urging citizens to stop what he described as \u201crioters\u201d and \u201cterrorist elements\u201d from causing destruction.<\/p>\n

He accused the United States and Israel<\/span><\/span><\/strong> of orchestrating the unrest, alleging that the same actors involved in last year\u2019s 12-day conflict with Iran were now seeking to inflame economic protests.<\/p>\n

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Broader US Pressure Campaign<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The situation in Iran is unfolding as Trump pursues an assertive foreign policy on multiple fronts. US officials told Reuters that Trump is scheduled to meet senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss Iran, with options reportedly ranging from military strikes and cyber operations to tougher sanctions and online support for anti-government groups.<\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal reported that these measures are under active consideration.<\/p>\n

Trump also said he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk<\/span><\/span><\/strong> about restoring internet access in Iran. Musk\u2019s company, SpaceX<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, operates the Starlink satellite service, which has previously been used to bypass internet restrictions in Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very good at that kind of thing,\u201d Trump said, praising Musk\u2019s technical capabilities.<\/p>\n

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Venezuela and Greenland Also in Focus<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Trump used the same exchange with reporters to address other foreign policy priorities. He confirmed plans to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, and reiterated assurances that global oil companies would be safe investing in Venezuela under his leadership.<\/p>\n

Turning to the Arctic, Trump again called on Greenland<\/span><\/span><\/strong> to \u201cmake a deal\u201d with the United States, repeating his claim that US control of the Danish territory is vital for national security.<\/p>\n

He again alleged \u2014 without evidence \u2014 increased Russian and Chinese military activity near Greenland, arguing that Washington would move to secure the territory if necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne way or another, we\u2019re going to have Greenland,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

As tensions rise on multiple fronts, Trump\u2019s remarks underscore the increasingly confrontational posture of US foreign policy, with Iran now at the center of Washington\u2019s latest warning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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US President Donald Trump said Washington is considering \u201cvery strong options\u201d in response to Iran\u2019s violent crackdown on anti-government protests, including the possibility of military intervention. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday, Trump said the US military is actively reviewing scenarios. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":642,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=639"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":643,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639\/revisions\/643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}