After declaring Iran is in “huge hassle” and near crossing a crimson line over its crackdown on anti-government protests, President Donald Trump was anticipated to be briefed Tuesday by his nationwide safety crew on his choices for intervention within the Islamic Republic.
One U.S. official tells ABC Information that among the many choices into account are new sanctions towards key regime figures or towards Iran’s vitality or banking sectors.
In a web-based put up Monday, Trump stated he was already ready to impose a 25% tariff towards “any nation doing enterprise with Iran” on “any and all enterprise being executed with the USA of America.”
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters whereas in flight on Air Drive One to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 11, 2026.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Former U.S. officers say different choices prone to land on the president’s desk would vary from large-scale army assaults to extra focused strikes on particular Iranian leaders or police infrastructure which have helped the Iranian authorities allegedly violently put down protests.
The U.S. is also prone to think about cyberattacks towards the federal government, in addition to on-line “affect operations” geared toward boosting the messaging of protesters on-line and undermining the Iranian authorities.
“I feel one factor President Trump is superb at is at all times conserving all of his choices on the desk and air strikes could be one of many many, many choices on the desk for the commander in chief. Diplomacy is at all times the primary choice for the president,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Monday.
On the similar time, Leavitt stated the Iran regime’s public messaging is completely different from the personal messaging being communicated to the White Home. “I feel the president has an curiosity in exploring these messages. Nevertheless, with that stated, the president has proven he is unafraid to make use of army choices if and when he deems mandatory,” Leavitt added.
Mick Mulroy, an ABC Information contributor who served as deputy assistant secretary of protection for the Center East on the Pentagon, stated the president will doubtless obtain an intelligence evaluation on the influence of a direct army strike and whether or not it might result in regime change.
“I consider in the event that they selected to maneuver ahead [on a military strike] will probably be targeted on regime targets particular to controlling, or oppressing, the protests,” he stated. That would come with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Basij forces or different inner safety components, he stated, which have been blamed for the deaths of the protestors.
Leavitt stated Iran’s international minister, Abbas Araghchi, is negotiating immediately with Trump’s Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff. Araghchi on Monday had stated Iran is “ready” for battle with the USA but in addition open to diplomatic negotiations.
On this body seize from footage circulating on social media from Iran confirmed protesters as soon as once more taking to the streets of Tehran regardless of an intensifying crackdown because the Islamic Republic stays lower off from the remainder of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC by way of AP)
The Related Press
Iranian international ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated the communication channel between Araghchi and Witkoff “stays open” and “at any time when mandatory, messages are exchanged via that channel,” in remarks made throughout a televised assembly in Tehran.
Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks with ABC Information whereas showing on This Week, Might 18, 2025.
ABC Information
He added that “sure factors and concepts have been introduced by the opposite aspect,” referring to the U.S. Final Friday, amid experiences of protesters being killed in Iran, Trump informed reporters that Iran was in “huge hassle” and that the federal government in Tehran “higher not begin taking pictures as a result of we’ll begin taking pictures, too.“
“We’ll be hitting them very onerous the place it hurts. And that does not imply boots on the bottom, but it surely means hitting them very, very onerous the place it hurts,” he added.
Aboard Air Drive One on Sunday night time, Trump stated Iranian officers had known as him over the weekend to barter and indicated a possible assembly is within the works. “They wish to negotiate. I feel they’re bored with being beat up by the USA,” he added. “We might meet with them. I imply — a gathering is being arrange, however we might must act due to what’s taking place, earlier than the assembly, however a gathering is being arrange,” Trump stated.
Amongst these anticipated to temporary the president on Tuesday are Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers. The State Division stated Rubio spoke by telephone this weekend to his counterparts in France and Cyprus to debate the continued protests in Iran. Rubio additionally spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in regards to the occasions unfolding in Iran, an Israeli official informed ABC Information.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens as President Donald Trump speaks throughout a gathering with oil firm executives within the East Room of the White Home in Washington, January 9, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
The State Division has been posting in Farsi in latest days on X, together with one put up warning Tehran: “Do not play video games with President Trump.” However one other main army operation in Iran is taken into account by specialists to be much less doubtless by Trump than different choices due to the dangers concerned.
There are presently 30,000 U.S. troops deployed to the Center East and Persian Gulf area, together with 2,500 in Iraq and 1,000 in Syria. The Pentagon would doubtless wish to transfer extra property to the world to assist defend these troops towards attainable retaliatory strikes.
There are six Navy ships within the area, together with three guided missile destroyers, which might be able to defending troops towards ballistic missile threats.
At present, there isn’t any plane provider in both the Center East or Europe, with the united statesGerald Ford and its strike group presently within the Caribbean Sea after being moved there from the Mediterranean to assist conduct operations in Venezuela.
ABC Information’ Steve Beynon contributed to this report.
