“Iran called. They want to negotiate. A meeting is being prepared,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, after indicating that he receives hourly reports on the situation in the streets of Iran.

However, the president made it clear that dialogue does not mean an automatic truce and threatened to take action before any dialogue takes place. “We may have to act before a meeting,” he warned.

Trump maintained that Iranian authorities “are starting to cross a line” by allowing, he said, the use of violence against protesters.

“People have died who didn’t have to die. Some died in stampedes—there were many. And some were shot,” he declared, directly blaming Iranian leaders.

Military options on the table

The president confirmed that the U.S. military is “very seriously” analyzing the situation and that there are “a couple of options” under evaluation. However, he avoided offering details about possible actions. “Are you asking me what I’m going to do, where I’m going to attack, when, and from what angle we’re going to attack? I have very powerful options,” he noted, though he remained tight-lipped. Trump asserted that Iran takes his warnings seriously, recalling past events such as the death of General Qasem Soleimani, the elimination of the Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the reduction of what he called the “Iranian nuclear threat.” “After all these things we’ve done, wouldn’t you say they take our threats seriously?” he asked.The president also downplayed the warnings issued from Tehran about possible attacks against US bases in the region. “If they do, we will attack them on a scale they have never seen before,” he declared.

Iranian Military Warning

For his part, the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, issued a direct warning to the President of the United States regarding his threats of military action against the Persian nation should security forces begin firing on protesters amid anti-government demonstrations.

“To avoid miscalculations, understand that if you decide to attack Iran, both the occupied territories and all US military installations, bases, and ships in the region will be legitimate targets,” Qalibaf warned.

Key Meeting and International Pressure

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, Trump plans to meet with his cabinet on Tuesday for the first formal discussion on possible responses to the crisis in Iran. Options being considered include cyberattacks, new economic sanctions, and targeted bombings, although other sources indicate that no immediate final decision or troop deployment is expected.

In parallel, Trump suggested he might contact Elon Musk to explore sending Starlink satellites to Iran to maintain internet access despite the regime's imposed blackouts. "He's very good at that kind of thing," he said of the entrepreneur.

The protests, which began on December 28 due to the severe economic crisis, have spread throughout Iran and abroad.

According to the US-based NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 538 people have died during the demonstrations, a toll that has increased international pressure on Tehran and placed the White House before a high-risk geopolitical decision.