“The military is monitoring the situation in Iran, and we are considering several very decisive options. We will make a decision,” President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump addressed the situation in Iran while speaking with journalists on board Air Force One. He said that Iran had reached out and proposed negotiations, while he himself is considering “very decisive” military actions against the regime in response to deadly crackdowns on protesters, which according to reports have claimed hundreds of lives. He added that he is receiving reports on the situation almost every hour.
Asked whether Iran had crossed the red line he had previously set by killing demonstrators, Trump replied “they are starting to do it, that’s what it looks like.”
“We are looking at this very seriously,” the US president said. “The military is looking at it, and we are considering several very decisive options. We will make a decision.”
Referring to the possibility of Iranian retaliation against US forces in the region or other American facilities, Trump warned that the USA “will respond with force the likes of which they have never seen.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump will meet on Tuesday with senior members of his cabinet and the military to discuss how to respond to the protests in Iran. The options under consideration reportedly include amplifying anti-government voices online, conducting cyberattacks against Iranian military and civilian facilities, imposing tougher sanctions on the regime, and military strikes.