Iran protests newest: Trump briefed on ‘strike options’ as Iranian army tightens grip on protesters
US president Donald Trump has reportedly been briefed on possible military strike options, as Washington weighs how to respond to Iran‘s crackdown on mass anti-government protests.
This comes as Iran’s security establishment moved to tighten its grip on the unrest. Iranian authorities warned that protesters could face the death penalty, while the military accused foreign “enemies” of fuelling the unrest. It urged citizens to remain alert to what it described as “enemy plots”.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its intelligence wing had arrested a foreign national suspected of spying for Israel, as officials blamed the US and Israel for inciting unrest. State media also said around 100 people described as “armed rioters” had been detained.
Trump has meanwhile stepped up his rhetoric, saying on social media that the US “stands ready to help” Iranians protesting against clerical rule, after earlier warning that US forces were “locked and loaded” if demonstrators were killed.
Rights groups say at least 116 people have been killed since protests erupted over Iran’s collapsing currency and widened into calls for the removal of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Demonstrations in support of protesters have also taken place abroad, including in London.
Israel is on alert as US and Israeli officials discuss Iran protests
Israel is reportedly on alert over developments in Iran, as senior US and Israeli officials held talks amid mounting unrest and renewed warnings from Washington about possible intervention.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on Saturday with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to US and Israeli officials. While the US side did not disclose what was discussed, an Israeli source said the situation in Iran and the possibility of US involvement were raised.
Israeli officials are closely monitoring events as Iran faces its largest anti-government demonstrations in years, with Donald Trump repeatedly warning Tehran against using force and saying the United States “stands ready to help”.
This follows Israel’s 12-day direct war with Iran from last year, during which both country’s forces exchanged strikes and US aircraft bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump says US ‘stands ready to help’ as Iran protests continue
US president Donald Trump said the US “stands ready to help” Iranian protesters, as demonstrations continue across the country.
“Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help,” he wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that message in a separate post on X, formerly Twitter, saying Washington “supports the brave people of Iran”.
The US State Department also issued a pointed warning to Tehran, saying Iranian leaders should “not play games with President Trump”.
Inside Iran, authorities appeared to move cautiously as Saturday marked the start of the working week. State television said many schools and universities shifted to online classes, while officials continued to project an image of stability as protests persisted elsewhere in the country.
As protests rage, Iran pulls the plug on contact with the world
Just after 8pm Thursday, Iran’s theocracy pulled the plug and disconnected the Islamic Republic’s 85 million people from the rest of the world.
Following a playbook used both in demonstrations and in war, Iran severed the internet connections and telephone lines that connect its people to the vast diaspora in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Until now, even while facing strict sanctions over the country’s nuclear program, Iranians still could access mobile phone apps and even websites blocked by the theocracy, using virtual private networks to circumvent restrictions.
As the country effectively goes dark, loved ones abroad are frantic for any scrap of news, especially as Iran’s attorney general warned on Saturday that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
Iran state media claims calm as verified footage shows protests
Iranian state television has portrayed a return to calm, telling viewers that there were no significant gatherings overnight in Tehran or other parts of the country and attributing earlier unrest to what it described as violent attacks by armed groups.
A state TV anchor reportedly said: “Field reports indicate that peace prevailed in most cities of the country at night.” They added that there was “no news of any gathering or chaos in Tehran and most provinces last night”.
However, the account has been challenged by video independently verified by the Associated Press, which showed what appeared to be large crowds on the streets of Tehran’s Saadat Abad neighbourhood during the same period.
At the same time, the semi-official Fars News Agency, which is widely regarded as close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, released security camera footage it said showed protesters in Isfahan setting fires and attacking a government compound.
US weighs military strike options against Iran amid protest crackdown
US officials have been weighing possible military responses against Iran, as President Donald Trump considers whether to act on warnings he has issued over Tehran’s handling of mass protests, according to The New York Times.
The newspaper reported that Trump has been presented with several contingency options in recent days and is actively reviewing them, though no decision has been taken. Officials familiar with the discussions said the scenarios under consideration range in scope and remain internal planning exercises rather than an operational order.
On Saturday, Iran’s armed forces signalled a tougher posture, announcing that it would “firmly safeguard national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property”.
US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal also said that conversations in Washington have touched on what a response might look like if ordered, while emphasising that no assets have been deployed and there is no indication of imminent action.
The White House has pointed instead to Trump’s recent public statements, including social media posts expressing support for protesters.
“Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”
Trump warns Iran ‘we’re going to hit very hard’ if protesters are targeted
Iran threatens protesters with death penalty
Iran’s attorney general Mohammad Movahedi Azad has warned that those taking part in anti-government protests will be considered an “enemy of God” a charge that carries the death penalty.
The threat was reported by state television and comes as protests approach their 14th day. Iran remains largely cut off from the outside world following the shutdown of internet and international phone services.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 116 people have been killed and more than 2,600 detained since demonstrations began. Rights groups say the communications blackout has made it increasingly difficult to assess the scale of the unrest or the state response.
These figures have not been confirmed by Iranian authorities.
Solidarity with protesters shown across the world
On Saturday, demonstrations in solidarity with the protesters took place across the world, including in London where a protester climbed onto the balcony of the Iranian embassy.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said those speaking out against the Iranian government should not face “the threat of violence or reprisals”.
She said: “It takes real courage to speak up in an authoritarian system, especially for young women, but it should not require courage just to make your voice heard.
“These are fundamental rights: free speech; peaceful assembly; and the exercise of those rights should never come with the threat of violence or reprisals.
“That is why the UK, France and Germany made the statement we did, and we urge the Iranian authorities to listen.”
Protesters returned to Iran streets in nationwide uprising
Iranian filmmakers condemn internet blackout
Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof have condemned Iran’s nationwide internet blackout, describing it as a “blatant tool of repression”.
“In recent days, following the presence of millions of Iranians in the streets protesting against the Islamic Republic, the government has once again resorted to its most blatant tools of repression,” they wrote in a joint statement.
They said the authorities had cut off “the internet, mobile phones, and landlines”, severing communication inside Iran and “completely blocking all means of contact with the outside world”.
“Experience has shown that resorting to such measures is intended to conceal the violence inflicted during the suppression of protests.”
Panahi, a Palme d’Or-winning film-maker sentenced in absentia last month to a year in prison for what Iranian authorities described as “propaganda activities”, and Rasoulof, who fled Iran in 2024 while appealing a prison sentence and now lives in exile in Europe, are both long-time critics of the Islamic Republic.
The directors added that they were both “deeply concerned for the lives” of citizens left “defenceless” under the blackout, and urged the international community, human rights groups and independent media to act.
Source: independent.co.uk
