Donald Trump says US ‘looking’ at military operations in Iran

Donald Trump said he was considering conducting military operations in Iran, as the US president warned the Islamic republic was starting to cross his red line amid an intensifying crackdown on nationwide protests.

The military “is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options”, he said aboard Air Force One on Sunday. Trump also said Iran’s leadership called on Saturday and they wanted to negotiate.

The US and Iran were working to schedule a meeting, but Trump said Washington might intervene before any session could take place.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” he said. “A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting.”

Asked if Iran has crossed his red line for intervention as the death toll from the crackdown rose, Trump replied “they’re starting to, it looks like”. He added he would “make a determination” and “we’re looking at [the situation in Iran] very seriously”.

Activist groups have estimated between 200 and 500 people have been killed since the demonstrations in Iran erupted in late December, including dozens of members of the security forces. Thousands of people have also been detained, they said.

It was not possible to verify the reports as the regime has imposed an internet blackout since the protests escalated on Thursday, cutting the country off from the outside world.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday said a “communication channel” between foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff remained open.

The two officials had been in contact since Iran and the US held indirect talks over the republic’s nuclear last year. Those negotiations ended after Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran — which the US briefly joined — on the eve of a round of discussions.

Araghchi on Monday said Tehran was prepared for dialogue, but also war if necessary.

“The Islamic republic of Iran is not looking for war but is completely prepared for war,” he said in a speech to foreign diplomats in Tehran. “We are also ready for negotiations, but fair negotiations with equal rights and mutual respect.”

A person familiar with the matter said Tehran’s position on any nuclear negotiations with the US had not changed, adding Iran was ready for talks but would not accept preconditions such as agreeing to give up its right to enrich uranium as Trump has previously insisted.

Trump has repeatedly warned that the US was ready to “rescue” Iranians if the authorities killed protesters, as the two weeks of unrest poses the greatest domestic threat to the Islamic regime in years.

Footage aired on Iranian state television showed the floor of an unidentified building packed with corpses in body bags. A medic told the channel some might have wanted to attack security forces, but the majority were “ordinary people”.

The government had not given a death toll for the protests, but has said dozens of security forces have been killed. The authorities have blamed “rioters” and “terrorists” for the violence and blamed the US and Israel for stoking the unrest.

Araghchi claimed all cities and towns were “under total control” as the government organised pro-regime demonstrations to project support for the theocratic leadership. Thousands took to the streets of cities across the republic on Monday chanting “death to America” and “death to Israel”.

Trump warned that should Iran retaliate against any military action by attacking US bases, Washington would hit “targets they wouldn’t believe. If they do that, we will hit them at levels they’ve never been hit before”.

Washington has not deployed additional troops or jets to the region and the US is also without an aircraft carrier in the area, officials said. The USS Gerald R Ford, the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, left the Mediterranean in November for the Caribbean to focus on Venezuela.

The US had six warships, including three guided-missile destroyers, in the Gulf as of January 5, according to a tracker from the US Naval Institute.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said the government would “sit and listen” to people’s concerns, but also blamed “rioters” and the US and Israel for stoking the protests.

Economic grievances such as Iran’s plunging currency triggered the demonstrations as shopkeepers protested against soaring prices. Those protests then morphed into nationwide anti-regime demonstrations.

They are the most serious domestic threat to the regime since 2022, when Mahsa Amini was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab and died in custody. More than 300 people were killed in a backlash against those demonstrations, according to Amnesty International.

Iran has been weakened militarily and economically in recent years.

In June, Israel launched a 12-day war against the republic, during which it assassinated Iran’s top military commanders and nuclear scientists, destroyed its air defences and — along with the US — bombed its nuclear facilities.

Social and economic grievances have continued to fester as the rial has lost more than 40 per cent of its value since the war, exacerbating runaway inflation.

Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington