Washington: The White House has said that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering possible military action in Iran as nationwide anti-government protests enter their third week.
On Monday, President Trump announced that a 25 percent tariff had been imposed on goods coming from countries that conduct trade with Iran. He said the decision was aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran amid ongoing unrest. Trump stated on social media that the tariffs were “effective immediately,” but did not clarify how “doing business with Iran” would be defined or which kinds of transactions would be affected.
According to U.S. broadcaster CBS, two senior Pentagon officials said that President Trump has been presented with a range of large-scale military options and covert action plans targeting Iran that go well beyond conventional airstrikes.
Sources say the National Security Council is scheduled to meet at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the latest options regarding Iran. It remains unclear whether President Trump will attend the meeting himself, although he has repeatedly warned that if protesters in Iran are massacred, the United States could take strong action against Tehran.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the president is considering potential responses to events in Iran, adding that “he always considers all options, and airstrikes are among them.” She said diplomacy remains the president’s first choice, but that he has shown he is willing to use military options when he considers it necessary.
Iran’s major trading partners include China, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and India. The new tariffs were announced shortly after Trump warned that if protesters were killed, the United States could respond against Iran.
Protests in Iran began in late December after a sharp decline in the value of the national currency, the rial, and have since developed into a major political challenge for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. An ongoing internet blackout has made it difficult to obtain reliable and up-to-date information from inside the country, and international media networks remain unable to report directly from the ground.
