Trump recently said he had sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urging new talks on Tehran's nuclear programImage: Iranian Supreme Leader'S Office/ZUMAPRESS/dpa/picture allianc
Trump Is Briefed on Options for Striking Iran as Protests Continue
NY Times-Jan 11th2025
Tyler PagerEric Schmitt and Edward Wong
President Trump has been briefed in recent days on new options for military strikes in Iran as he considers following through on his threat to attack the country for cracking down on protesters, according to multiple U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Mr. Trump has not made a final decision, but the officials said he was seriously considering authorizing a strike in response to the Iranian regime’s efforts to suppress demonstrations set off by widespread economic grievances. The president has been presented with a range of options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations.
Asked about planning for potential strikes, the White House referred to Mr. Trump’s public comments and social media posts in recent days.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media on Saturday. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The demonstrations in Iran began in late December in response to a currency crisis, but they have since spread and grown in size as many Iranians have called for wholesale changes to the country’s authoritarian government. Iranian officials have threatened to crack down on the demonstrations, and dozens of protesters have been killed, according to human rights groups.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Friday that the government would “not back down” in the face of large-scale protests.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to use lethal force against the Iranian government for its efforts to suppress demonstrations, and on Friday, he said that Iran “is in big trouble.”
“I’ve made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday, while meeting with oil executives. “We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts. So we don’t want that to happen.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on Saturday morning with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, according to three people with knowledge of the call. The two leaders discussed the protests in Iran, along with the situation in Syria and a peace deal in Gaza, the three people said.
Read more on original:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/us/politics/trump-iran-strikes.html


Iran Has Friends, but Where Are They Now?
US submarine sinks Iranian warship with torpedo, as Pentagon says it will strike ‘deeper into Iran’
Israel launches new strikes on Iran as US identifies first American soldiers killed in conflict
Iran war fallout: Shock-hit economy rattles policymakers
War with Iran expands across region; U.S. expects more casualties
Iranian president says new leadership council ‘has begun its work’ after death of supreme leader