Trump weighs military action against Iran’s protest crackdown

US President Donald Trump has been briefed on strong options as he weighs whether to order a US military response against the Iranian government over a violent crackdown on protests that have left more than 600 people dead across the country, but is holding off for now after receiving messages from Tehran, the White House said on Monday.

Trump has repeatedly threatened Tehran with military action if his administration finds the Islamic Republic is using deadly force against anti-government protesters, a red line Washington says Iran is “starting to cross” and has left Trump and his national security team weighing “very strong options.”

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump was exploring messages from the Iranian regime officials.

“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages.”

“However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.” Leavitt told reporters Monday.

The White House position on the protests came hours after Trump announced on social media that he would slap 25% tariffs on countries doing business with Tehran “effective immediately”—his first action aimed at penalising Iran for the protest crackdown.

“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “This Order is final and conclusive" he added.

China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Brazil and Russia are among the economies that do business with Tehran. The White House declined to offer further comment or details about the president’s tariff announcement.

The White House has offered scant details on Iran’s outreach for talks, but Leavitt confirmed that the president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will be a key player engaging Tehran.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and key White House National Security Council officials began meeting Friday to develop a “suite of options,” from a diplomatic approach to military strikes, to present to Trump in the coming days, according to a US official familiar with the internal administration deliberations.

News about talks between Washington and Tehran first emerged on Sunday when Trump told reporters that a “meeting is being set up” with Iranian officials but cautioned that “we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting.”

“We’re watching the situation very carefully,” Trump said.

The demonstrations are the biggest Iran has seen in years—protests spurred by the collapse of Iranian currency that have morphed into a larger test of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s repressive rule.

Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, has warned that the US military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.

The anti-government protests over a deteriorating economic crisis, which is now in its third week, have seen more than 500 protesters killed and almost 10,700 arrested, according to a US-based rights group.