Trump considering U.S. strike on Iran due to protests

The United States is seriously considering some kind of response to events in Iran, including the use of force, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on board Air Force One.

"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," Donald Trump said.

The U.S. leader is scheduled to be briefed by senior officials in his administration on January 13 on specific options for responding to the protests in Iran.

Trump is considering a number of options intended to target Iran’s regime that stop short of military strikes, CNN reported.

The options include:

• targeting Tehran’s security services,
• cyber operations going after the Iranian military or regime targets,
• new sanctions against regime figures, or sectors of Iran’s economy like energy or banking,
• providing technology like Starlink to bolster internet connectivity in Iran, helping protesters skirt an information blackout.

The options that the president is considering do not involve putting boots on the ground in Iran, a senior White House official told CNN.