US President Donald Trump has said his country is looking at “some very strong options” against Iran, where the death toll from clashes between anti-government protesters and security personnel is reportedly rising.
Demonstrations are spreading across Iran amid rising prices partly caused by Western economic sanctions.
The actual death toll is not known. But a US-based human rights group said 544 people had died by Sunday. At least 490 of them were demonstrators.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, “There seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed.”
He said: “We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it.” He added, “We’ll make a determination.”
Trump said the leaders of Iran had called on the previous day to negotiate and added, “We may meet with them.”
Bilateral talks on Iran’s nuclear program were suspended after the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
The Wall Street Journal said Trump is scheduled to meet senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Tuesday to discuss options for responding to the protests in Iran.
