Trump Says the Military ‘Is Looking at Some Strong Options’ on Iran
president Donald Trump said in mid-January 2026 that the U.S. is weighing “very strong options” – including military measures – in response to Iran’s violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters,and that a meeting with Iranian officials is being arranged though action “may have to” come before talks. Rights groups and analysts have reported large casualty figures from the protests: HRANA confirmed more than 500 deaths, othre estimates range from a few thousand to as high as 6,000. Iranian officials responded that Tehran is prepared to negotiate but also ready for war if necessary; Iran’s parliament speaker warned that U.S. military centers, bases and ships in the region would be legitimate targets if attacked. Trump had previously threatened severe U.S. retaliation if protesters continued to be killed, and some U.S. politicians – notably Sen. Lindsey Graham – have urged forceful measures, including targeting regime leaders, to support protesters and reshape regional dynamics.
President Donald Trump said late Sunday that he is considering applying “some very strong options” against Iran over its crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
“We’re looking at it very seriously,” he told reporters while aboard Air Force One. “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP says that Iran is “starting to” cross U.S. red lines, citing reports of civilian deaths and warning that any attack on American interests would be met with overwhelming force as his administration weighs what he called “very strong options.” pic.twitter.com/sX6dtAUUAn
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 12, 2026
He added that Iran’s leadership had called him seeking “to negotiate” and that a “meeting is being set up,” according to Al Jazeera. However, Trump also signaled that it may be too late for negotiations.
“We may have to act before a meeting,” he said.
His remarks came after the Iran-US-based rights group HRANA revealed on Sunday that over 500 people had already been confirmed killed in Iran, as reported by Reuters.
This followed an estimate by Richard Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies that the death count could very well be in the thousands by now.
2,500-3,000 latest estimate. https://t.co/xdmxEvJ9QU
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) January 11, 2026
A group of experts, meanwhile, told Time magazine that, according to their calculations, the death count could be as high as 6,000.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded to the president’s threat by saying early Monday that Iran is ready for negotiations, but also ready for war, if necessary.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war,” he said, according to The Guardian. “We are also ready for negotiations but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect.”
“All American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, reportedly said over the weekend.
All this follows recent threats made by the U.S. president.
“If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States,” the president said earlier this month.
Q: “There’s been protesters killed in Iran…What is the line there for when the U.S. is going to get involved in those protests?”
Trump: “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re gonna get hit very hard by the United States.” pic.twitter.com/oaLsH3Bs1p
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) January 5, 2026
Pressure is now growing for Trump to stop talking and start taking action.
“Whatever action we are going to take, Mr. President, needs to embolden the protesters and scare the hell out of the regime,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Fox News over the weekend.
“If I were you, Mr. President, I would kill the leadership that are killing the people. You got to end this. If it ends well, then peace breaks out. All the state-sponsored terrorism activity stops. Hezbollah, Hamas, they go away. Israel and Saudi make peace. A new day in the Mideast,” he added.
The future of Iran belongs to its people.
President @realDonaldTrump has shown he knows how to support them and how to deter the ayatollah.
A new day is coming. pic.twitter.com/uBq96MLTSh
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 11, 2026
“If the ayatollah hangs on, it’s a giant Obama step backward,” Graham concluded.
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