U.S. President Donald Trump is “unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military, if and when he deems that necessary” in response to Tehran’s brutal crackdown on Iranian anti-government protestors, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday afternoon. Her comments came as Trump is favoring an attack, according to media reports, which we cannot confirm at this time. Regardless, Trump did lay down a firm warning to the government in Tehran last week that if they started killing protestors, he would act.
You can catch up with our previous coverage of the unfolding events here.
“The greatest leverage the regime had just several months ago was their nuclear program, which President Trump and the United States military totally obliterated through Operation Midnight Hammer,” stated Leavitt, noting that the president would prefer a diplomatic solution to the crisis. “And so what President Trump will do next only he knows. So the world will have to keep waiting and guessing, and we will let him decide. I’m certainly not going to broadcast any future options or decision from the President on national television.”
Leavitt added that airstrikes are among “many, many options.”
“The options could include ordering military strikes on regime sites or launching cyberattacks, approving new sanctions and boosting anti-regime accounts online,” The Wall Street Journal suggested.
Trump announced one of those options on Monday afternoon, declaring on his Truth Social platform an immediate 25% tariff on any nation doing business with Iran.
A major curve ball that has come into play has been the sudden ask by the Iranian regime to restart nuclear negotiations, according to Trump.
Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One, Trump acknowledged that the U.S. will meet with Iranian officials after they called seeking negotiations over their nuclear ambitions.
“A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting,” Trump warned.
The tactic could be a ploy by the Iranians to keep the U.S. military at bay during a very vulnerable period. At the same time, the U.S. could end up striking Iran for reasons totally outside of the nuclear issue.
Trump also warned that the government of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is approaching red lines in its harsh response to the uprising and brushed off threats of Iranian attacks on U.S. interests.
“People were killed that aren’t supposed to be killed,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “These are violent, if you call them leaders. I don’t know if their leaders are just they rule through violence, but we’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.”
Trump added that he is getting “hourly reports” about the situation.
Asked about threats that Iran would attack U.S. assets in the region in retaliation for any American military actions on behalf of the anti-government forces, Trump seemed incredulous.
“They wouldn’t,” he proclaimed. “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before. They won’t even believe it. I have options that are so strong. So I mean, if they did that, it’ll be met with a very, very powerful force.”
Trump’s comments aboard Air Force One came in the wake of reports that U.S. military planners will present him with several options for responding to Iran. He will reportedly meet with senior administration officials on Tuesday to discuss the matter. As we pointed out earlier in this story, the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities six months ago in what was dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer.
While Trump may be considering attacking Iran, there have been no publicly visible signs of a major U.S. military buildup in the region, either in the air or on the sea. There have been no large movements of cargo aircraft, tankers, or tactical aircraft. There are also no aircraft carriers in the region or plans at this point to move any. Even if the decision is made to redeploy a strike group, it would take weeks at the earliest before one could arrive from the U.S. The Lincoln carrier strike group is currently deployed to the South China Sea, and the USS Gerald R. Ford remains on station in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) region. If a carrier is called to the region, it will likely be the Lincoln.
Though carrier strike groups bring a lot of firepower in the form of embarked aircraft and guided missile destroyers, they are not a requirement to strike Iran or defend against a counterattack it could launch, as we noted over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the U.S. still has airpower located on land bases throughout the region, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. In addition, it should be noted that the B-2s that struck Iran flew from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. B-52 and B-1B bombers can make similar flights from the U.S. or forward deploy.
However, given the threats made by Iran, we would likely see cargo flights containing air defense systems and personnel, as well as flights of additional fighters. Tehran still has a large supply of short-range ballistic and cruise missiles that it did not use during the 12-Day War with Israel. As a result, an Iranian response to a new attack could be far worse than the retaliation strike Tehran carried out on a largely empty Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after Midnight Hammer. The Iranian revenge strike resulted in the largest single-event launch of Patriot interceptors in U.S. military history. At the same time, Iran is not in a particularly good position to fight a huge uprising internally and the U.S. externally at this time.
Meanwhile, despite ample evidence that makes such a claim seem very premature, the Iranian government maintains that it retains “full control” of the country despite the widespread protests. Iranian officials also claim that a million people came out on Monday to rallies in support of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As we previously noted, the protests represent perhaps the greatest internal threat to the regime since it took power following the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The current uprisings began Dec. 28. 2025, sparked by anger over rising prices, devalued currency, a devastating drought, and brutal government crackdowns.
In a social media posting on Monday, the Ayatollah declared victory.
“Great and Dignified Nation of Iran! Today, you have accomplished a great deed and created a #HistoricalDay,” Khamenei extolled on X. “These massive gatherings, brimming with steadfast resolve, nullified the plans of external enemies that were meant to be implemented by internal mercenaries.”
Iran’s top diplomat also said the regime had weathered the uprising.
“Security forces have full control over the situation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. “Evidence shows attacks on security forces were staged to inflate casualties, a demand from Trump, and most fatalities, including security personnel, were shot from behind. Armed attackers also killed the injured in ambulances, burned 53 mosques, and sabotaged public infrastructure.”
Araghchi also claimed U.S. and Israeli involvement, “with Mossad and its affiliates linked to killings and riots.”
Still, while saying his nation was prepared for war, Araghchi added Iran was also open to negotiations with Trump “that are fair, with equal rights and mutual respect.”
Amid the turmoil, the communication channel between Araghachi and Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has remained open, Iranian media reported.
On Sunday, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf took a much more defiant stance, leveling a direct threat against the U.S. and Israel.
“I have a message for the delusional American President,” said Qalibaf. “Be careful that the advice being given to you about attacking Iran is not of the same kind as the ‘consultations’ through which you claimed that Mashhad had fallen.”
“Therefore,” he added, “in order to avoid miscalculations, be aware that if you take action to attack Iran, both the occupied territories [Israel] and all U.S. military centers, bases, and ships in the region will be considered legitimate targets by us.”
On Monday, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose calls for increased action have sparked larger demonstrations, claimed the regime is “on its back legs” and that the “people are ready to topple it.”
Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled Iran ahead of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is now living in exile in the U.S.
As the unrest continues, it remains to be seen how much the uprising has really been quelled. The ferocity of the demonstrations had reportedly compelled the U.S. intelligence community last week to rethink its initial assessment of the situation, recognizing that it is more serious than initially thought. However, it is unknown if that analysis has changed over the weekend.
Given that Iran has largely shut down internet and telephone communications, including jamming signals to and from Starlink dishes, it is impossible to know exactly what is going on in the country at the moment. However, intermittent reports, videos, and images continue to flow from inside Iran.
So far, at least 544 people have been killed during the protests, according to the latest data from the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA). The U.S.-based non-governmental organization claims that dozens of additional cases are under review, while more than 10,000 people have been arrested and transferred to prisons. The number of deaths is likely significantly higher because HRANA claims it only tabulates those that can be visually confirmed.
“Protests have taken place at 585 locations across the country, in 186 cities, spanning all 31 provinces,” HRANA stated. The War Zone cannot independently verify these claims.
For the past two weeks, social media feeds about Iran have been dominated by videos and images of huge throngs of people on the streets across the country. Some showed buildings burning, others depicting the mounting death toll as hospitals and morgues became inundated with bodies of those killed during the demonstrations after regime forces opened fire.
Amid the chaos, non-essential staff have reportedly departed the French embassy in Iran.
As the protests continue and rhetoric flows between Washington and Tehran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his support for the Iranian people while planning a potential attack, dubbed Operation Iron Strike.
“We are sending strength to the heroic and courageous citizens of Iran — and once the regime falls, we will do good things together for the benefit of both peoples,” he said on Sunday. “We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be freed from the yoke of tyranny. And when that day arrives, Israel and Iran will once again become faithful partners in building a future of prosperity and peace.”
As we have previously noted, an Israeli strike could play into the regime’s claim about foreign interference and galvanize the population behind it; however, that seems less likely with every passing day of violence.
Regardless of Netanyahu’s intentions, all eyes are on Trump, a senior IDF official told us.
“My assessment is that much ultimately hinges on one individual: President Trump,” he said, offering an unclassified view of the situation. “He has positioned himself as a global decision-maker, and it is likely that he alone will determine whether, when, and how the United States chooses to intervene in Iran, if at all.”
However, Israel could act if it perceives a threat from its arch-enemy.
“From Israel’s perspective, should there be credible early warning of escalation or intervention, I would expect Israel to act swiftly,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. “At present, Israel is maintaining a high level of readiness and immediate operational preparedness. That said, much more remains classified than publicly visible. In many respects, the situation appears to be concentrated in the decision-making of a single individual.”
“It is possible that patience may run thin in the coming 48 hours, but as always, predictions in this environment are inherently uncertain, and I prefer not to speculate beyond that,” the official added.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com