President Donald Trump is weighing military options against Iran as the death toll from nationwide protests climbs and Tehran warns that any U.S. strike would trigger retaliation against American troops and Israel, according to U.S. officials and Iranian statements. Senior aides say the White House is reviewing a menu of responses ranging from expanded sanctions and cyberoperations to limited strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) assets, even as allies warn that a confrontation could ignite a wider regional war.
Protests and a warning from Tehran
Iran has been rocked by some of its largest demonstrations in years, with rallies in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, and other cities triggered by a collapse in the rial and quickly shifting into calls for regime change. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 116 people have been killed, including dozens of security personnel, while Iran has imposed near‑total nationwide internet shutdowns for more than 60 hours.
Amid the unrest, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that if the United States launches military strikes, “all U.S. bases in the region and the Zionist regime will be legitimate targets,” an explicit threat to American forces and Israel. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused protesters of “destroying their own streets” to please Trump, while judiciary officials vowed “no leniency” and deployed IRGC ground units in several provinces.
Trump has responded with highly public support for the demonstrators, calling Iran “on the verge of FREEDOM, perhaps like never before” and warning leaders not to fire on protesters. “The USA stands ready to help!!!” he wrote on Truth Social, without specifying what that help would entail.
Inside the White House debate
Behind the scenes, U.S. officials say the administration is reviewing options ranging from symbolic gestures to kinetic strikes. According to reporting by the Institute for the Study of War and other outlets:
- The Pentagon has offered plans for limited strikes on IRGC bases and command centers involved in the crackdown, as well as cyberoperations to disrupt internal communications.
- The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is pushing for tighter sanctions on Iranian officials and entities tied to repression, coupled with expanded support for circumvention tools to break internet blackouts.
- Intelligence agencies have briefed Congress on potential blowback, including missile threats to U.S. troops in Iraq and the Gulf and attacks by Iranian‑backed groups from Yemen to Lebanon.
No decision has been announced, and officials stress that Trump has not authorized any strikes. People familiar with the process say the president is torn between his desire to project strength and his long‑stated aversion to “endless wars” in the Middle East.
Israel and regional allies on edge
Israel is on high alert amid the possibility that U.S. moves could trigger Iranian retaliation across the region. After the June 2025 Twelve‑Day War, in which Israel hit Iranian nuclear facilities and Tehran responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles, both sides rebuilt capabilities but avoided direct clashes until now.
Israeli sources told Reuters that the military has raised readiness for missile and drone attacks and is coordinating closely with U.S. planners. Social media in Israel has filled with calls for Tehran’s overthrow as images of the protests spread, though the government has not publicly urged U.S. airstrikes. Gulf partners, still exposed to Iranian missile and drone arsenals, are pressing Washington privately to avoid actions that could turn their territory into battlegrounds, diplomats say.
European governments have condemned the crackdown and urged Tehran to restore internet access and allow peaceful protest, but they have also warned that a U.S.–Iran clash could spike energy prices, disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and send fresh shocks into already fragile economies.
Protesters call for help, but fear war
Inside Iran, exiled figures and activists are urging sustained international pressure rather than an open conflict whose consequences they say would be borne by civilians. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has called for strikes, mass work stoppages and nonviolent resistance, arguing that Iranians can topple the regime if the outside world helps keep the internet open and holds leaders accountable.
Videos smuggled out during brief connectivity windows show crowds chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran,” denouncing the leadership’s regional spending as the economy craters. Rights groups say security forces have used live ammunition, birdshot, and mass arrests, echoing tactics from bloodier crackdowns in 2019 and 2022.
Analysts at Critical Threats and other think tanks say Iran’s leadership is trying to frame the unrest as foreign‑directed, both to justify repression and to build support among its base for potential confrontation with the United States and Israel. A U.S. strike, they warn, could validate that narrative, and allow hardliners to rally support, even as it raises the cost of repression.
What “action” could look like
While rhetoric focuses on airstrikes, officials and experts outline several pathways Trump could choose if he decides “to help”:
- Expanded sanctions and asset freezes targeting officials, IRGC units and surveillance companies involved in the crackdown, alongside measures to restrict Iran’s access to drones and other dual‑use technologies.
- Cyberoperations to disrupt regime propaganda channels or security‑force networks, actions U.S. agencies rarely acknowledge publicly but have used against Iran in the past.
- Limited military strikes on IRGC facilities, radar sites or missile depots involved in suppressing protests or threatening U.S. forces, calibrated to send a warning without attempting regime change.
- Support for information access, including funding virtual private networks and satellite internet workarounds to keep protesters online.
Any overt strike would test Iran’s vow to hit U.S. bases and Israel, raising questions about how far Washington is prepared to go if dueling responses spiral into a broader conflict.
A decision with global stakes
For the United States, acting, or not acting on Iran carries risks. A forceful response could deter further bloodshed or embolden protesters, but it could also entangle U.S. troops and allies in another Middle East war at a time when Washington is already grappling with threats from Russia and China. Restraint may avoid immediate escalation but could be seen as abandoning demonstrators whose slogans now openly invoke Trump’s name and the promise of outside support.
European and global audiences are watching not only for what happens in Iran’s streets but also for what Trump decides in the Situation Room. The choice will shape U.S. credibility on human rights, nuclear diplomacy, and regional security, and determine whether Iran’s latest uprising becomes a domestic turning point or the spark for a wider conflict in a volatile region.