By Emmanuel Bobby
President Donald Trump is weighing a range of possible actions against Iran as the country intensifies its crackdown on protesters, a campaign that human rights groups say has killed more than 500 people nationwide.
Trump has said publicly that the United States could intervene if Iranian leaders continue killing demonstrators challenging the country’s theocratic system. Protests have now entered their second week, persisting despite an increasingly aggressive response from security forces.
According to three U.S. officials, the president has been presented with preliminary options that range from potential military strikes to other measures that would stop short of armed action. No final decision has been made, the officials said.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Sunday that at least 544 people have been killed in the unrest. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights has also cited unverified reports suggesting that several hundred protesters may have died.
An ongoing internet blackout across Iran has made it difficult for journalists and rights organizations to independently verify information from inside the country.
Iranian officials issued a warning to Trump on Sunday, saying Israeli and U.S. military bases in the region could be considered “legitimate targets” if any strike were launched.
“If the United States launches a military attack, both the occupied territory and U.S. military and maritime centers will be our legitimate targets,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in remarks aired on state television, referring to Israel. He added that Iran would not limit itself to responding only after an attack.
Earlier in the week, Trump threatened military intervention if Iranian authorities moved to violently suppress the demonstrations. Addressing Iran’s leaders on Friday, he warned, “You better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting, too.” On Saturday, he reiterated support for protesters in a social media post, writing that Iran was “looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before” and that the United States “stands ready to help.”
The State Department echoed the warning, saying, “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”
Israel’s military said Sunday that it is closely monitoring developments in Iran and stands ready to “respond with power if need be.”
The protests began roughly two weeks ago over economic grievances, including a collapsing currency and soaring inflation, but have since grown into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s leadership in its 47-year history. Thousands of people across the country have taken to the streets demanding the removal of the ruling clerical establishment.
In a televised address Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of attempting to sow chaos inside Iran and urged citizens to distance themselves from what he described as “rioters and terrorists.”
Gen. Ahmad-Reza Radan, commander in chief of Iran’s police force, said an “enhanced” security response was now in effect and that numerous arrests were made on Saturday, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
Iranian authorities have not released official figures on arrests, but the Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that at least 10,675 people have been detained during protests spanning 574 locations in 185 cities nationwide.
Iran’s prosecutor-general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, said Saturday that protesters could be charged as “enemies of God,” an offense that carries the death penalty. The country’s chief justice said Sunday that there would be “no leniency” for those involved in the unrest and that judges have been assigned across the country to handle protest-related cases.
Internet blackouts continued into Sunday, according to NetBlocks, an organization that tracks global connectivity. Amnesty International said the shutdowns appear aimed at concealing the scale of what it called grave human rights violations committed to crush the protests.
Iranian state media reported that security forces sent warning text messages to people suspected of attending “illegal gatherings,” telling them they had been identified through location data and that wearing masks would not prevent detection.
Despite the blackout, verified videos circulating online showed large crowds of anti-government protesters gathering in several Tehran neighborhoods, clapping, chanting, singing, and waving phone flashlights as they marched through the streets. The exact timing of the footage remains unclear.
Revolutionary Guard–aligned media claimed Saturday night was calm nationwide, saying security forces had “put the rioters back in their place.”
Outside Iran, solidarity demonstrations were held in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as members of the Iranian diaspora expressed support for protesters at home. Michael Mohkam, a 78-year-old Iranian living in France, said he hoped the unrest would lead to lasting change.
“I’ve been living here for 48 years. But my soul and body are in my home country,” he said. “When I left Iran to pursue my studies, I left a magnificent paradise.”
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former shah, continued to encourage protesters on Sunday after earlier urging them to prepare to seize city centers across the country. Pahlavi, who lives in the United States and has emerged as a symbolic figure for some demonstrators, praised Trump’s support in a social media post and said he would be with the protesters “soon.”
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