United States President Donald Trump has said that Washington is considering “strong options” in response to Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protests, including possible military intervention.
“We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he told reporters on board Air Force One late on Sunday.
He said Iran’s leadership had called, seeking “to negotiate” after his threats of military action, and that a “meeting is being set up”.
But he added that “we may have to act before a meeting”.
There was no immediate comment from Tehran.
Iranian leaders earlier on Sunday issued a stark warning against military intervention, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf saying: “In the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target.”
The protests in Iran began on December 28, when merchants at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar closed their shops over the Iranian rial’s plummeting value.
The demonstrations quickly spread nationwide, with grievances evolving from concerns over soaring living costs to broader opposition against Iran’s clerical establishment, who have governed the country since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
According to Iranian state media, at least 109 security personnel have been killed in the unrest, but opposition activists based outside the country say the death toll is higher and includes hundreds of protesters.
A nationwide internet blackout has also persisted for more than 72 hours, according to monitoring groups.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that his government was “ready to listen to” protesters, but urged the public to prevent “rioters” and “terrorist elements” from wreaking havoc.
He told the IRIB broadcaster that that Israel and the US, which waged a 12-day war against Iran in June of last year, were masterminding the unrest in the country, saying that “the same people that struck this country” were “trying to escalate these unrests with regard to the economic discussion”.
The unrest in Iran is unfolding as Trump pursues an assertive foreign policy, having abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and discussing acquiring Greenland by purchase or force.
Trump was scheduled to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, a US official told the Reuters news agency. The Wall Street Journal reported that options included military strikes, using secret cyberweapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.
Trump said on Sunday that he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran.
“He’s very good at that kind of thing, he’s got a very good company,” Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk’s SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.
The US leader also spoke on his plans for Venezuela and Greenland.
Trump confirmed he would be meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado on Tuesday or Wednesday. He said global oil companies will also be “safe” if they invest in Venezuela, repeating a pledge made last week during a White House meeting with oil executives.
“There are guarantees they’re going to be safe,” he said. “They had problems in the past because they didn’t have Trump as president. They had stupid people.”
On Greenland, Trump called for the Danish Arctic territory to “make a deal”, and said “we are talking about acquiring it, not making a short term deal”.
Trump repeated his previous – and unproven – claims that China and Russia had deployed “destroyers and submarines all over the place” in the waters around Greenland. The territory’s defence force, he said, was made up of “two dogsleds”.
Trump, who has previously said that US annexation of Greenland is necessary for Washington’s self-defence, said Russia and China will take Greenland if the US does not.
“I’m not letting that happen,” he told reporters. “I would love to make a deal with them. It’s easier, but one way or another we’re going to have Greenland.”
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