Trump weighing 'strong options' against Iran

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(The Center Square) – The U.S. could be inching closer to striking Iran for a second time, with President Donald Trump voicing his support for protesters of the Islamic Republic’s regime.

Trump told reporters late Sunday evening on board Air Force One that he and the military are looking very seriously at responding to reports that the Iranian regime is killing protesters.

Earlier in the month, the president issued a stern warning to the regime if it retaliated against protesters.

“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United State of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” the president posted to his Truth Social Account.

Trump told reporters Sunday evening that he is receiving “hourly updates,” and that he is “looking at some very strong options.”

The president said Iranian officials have reached out to the White House to negotiate. He added that a meeting is being set up, but indicated it may be too little, too late.

“Iran wants to negotiate, yes. We may meet with them … But we may have to act, because of what’s happening, before the meeting,” Trump told reporters.

Retaliation against protesters in Iran adds more fuel to the fire as the president is eyeing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

During the last week of December, Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when the two leaders reportedly discussed the potential of future strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic attempts to rebuild its nuclear capabilities, after U.S. strikes in June that targeted the country’s nuclear sites.

“I hear Iran is looking to rebuild its facilities again, and if they do we will have to knock them down again,” the president told reporters during a news conference in late December. “We’re going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that build up. So I hope Iran is not trying to build up, as I’ve been reading.”

The civil uprising in Iran follows a pattern of Iranian citizens protesting the brutal regime’s grip on its citizens. The most recent unrest occurred in 2019, with one of the most significant events taking place in 2009, known as the Green Movement, which resulted in millions of Iranian citizens demonstrating against the government.