Trump: US military ‘looking at very strong options’ on Iran amid protester deaths

US President Donald Trump says the US military is “looking at some very strong options” of actions to take against Iran against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump is asked whether the regime has crossed his red line, given that he has pledged to target the Islamic Republic if it kills protesters.

“They’re starting to [cross it]. It looks like [it]. There seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed… They rule through violence,” he responds.

“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,” he says, adding that he is receiving hourly updates on developments at the protests.

Trump says he will soon speak to Elon Musk about potentially getting his Starlink satellite internet service fully operational in Iran to assist the protesters who have been dealing with a government-ordered blackout since late last week.

Some protesters have managed to gain access to the internet via Starlink terminals smuggled into the country, but the service is not officially operational in Iran.

While Iran has indicated it could target US military and commercial bases if Washington attacks, Trump says, “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before… I have options that are so strong.”

Later during the gaggle, Trump claims that Iran reached out to the US yesterday and proposed holding another round of nuclear talks.

“A meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate,” he says before adding, “we may have to act before a meeting.”

Asked for an update on the Gaza Board of Peace, given reported plans to unveil the panel this week, Trump avoids offering a timeline. His administration had initially planned to unveil the Board of Peace last month but has several times pushed off the announcement.