{"id":196567,"date":"2026-01-11T22:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T22:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-weighs-preliminary-plans-for-action-on-iran-as-protests-face-violent-crackdown-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T22:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T22:03:48","slug":"trump-weighs-preliminary-plans-for-action-on-iran-as-protests-face-violent-crackdown-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-weighs-preliminary-plans-for-action-on-iran-as-protests-face-violent-crackdown-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump weighs preliminary plans for action on Iran as protests face violent crackdown – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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President Donald Trump has been weighing a range of options against Iran amid the country\u2019s crackdown on protesters that human rights groups say has killed more than 500 people.
Trump has said publicly that he may take action if Iranian leaders killed protesters challenging Iran\u2019s theocracy, as demonstrations entered their second week despite an increasingly aggressive crackdown<\/a>.
According to three U.S. officials, the president has been presented with preliminary plans ranging from possible strikes to other options that would not entail military action. No final decision has been made, the officials said.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Sunday that at least 538 people have been killed. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights also cited unverified reports that several hundred people may have been killed.
An internet blackout in Iran has made it difficult for journalists and human rights groups to independently verify reports from inside the country.
Iran warned Trump<\/a> on Sunday that Israeli and U.S. military bases in the region could be considered \u201clegitimate targets\u201d if a strike goes ahead.
\u201cIf the United States launches a military attack, both the occupied territory and U.S. military and maritime centers will be our legitimate targets,\u201d <\/strong>Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Sunday in remarks aired on Iranian state television, referring to Israel as the occupied territory.
\u201cWithin the framework of legitimate defense, we do not limit ourselves to reacting after an attack,\u201d he added.
Trump earlier this week threatened military intervention if Iran moves to crush the protests<\/a>. <\/strong>Addressing its leaders on Friday, he said: \u201cYou better not start shooting, because we\u2019ll start shooting, too.\u201d <\/strong>He offered further support for the protesters on Saturday, saying in a post on Truth Social: \u201cIran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!\u201d
\u201cDo not play games with President Trump. When he says he\u2019ll do something, he means it,\u201d the State Department said separately.
The Israeli military said Sunday that it is monitoring developments in Iran and will be able to \u201crespond with power if need be.\u201d
The demonstrations, which were sparked by economic grievances two weeks ago as the currency crashed and inflation soared, have now morphed into one of the biggest challenges the Islamic Republic has faced in its 47-year history, as thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand the ouster of the ruling clergy.
In an address on Iranian state TV on Sunday, Iran\u2019s President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to sow chaos and disorder in Iran, urging people to distance themselves from \u201crioters and terrorists.\u201d
Gen. Ahmad-Reza Radan, the commander in chief of Iran\u2019s police force, said on Sunday that an \u201cenhanced\u201d response to the protests was now in place, according to Iran\u2019s semiofficial Tasnim news agency. He said a number of arrests had taken place on Saturday.
The Iranian government has not released data on how many protesters have been detained, but the Human Rights Activists News Agency reports at least 10,675 people have been arrested during the protests, which have spanned 574 locations in 185 cities around the country.
Iran\u2019s Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said Saturday that protesters would be considered an \u201cenemy of God,\u201d a death-penalty charge in Iran, in remarks reported by Iranian media. The country\u2019s chief justice said Sunday that there would be \u201cno leniency\u201d toward those involved in the unrest and that judges have been designated to deal with cases across the country, according to state media.
Internet blackouts in Iran continued into Sunday, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group. Amnesty International has called the blackouts an attempt by authorities \u201cto hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush nationwide protests.\u201d
Security forces sent text messages to people suspected of attending \u201cillegal gatherings,\u201d Iranian state media said Saturday, warning them they have been identified as participants using location data and that covering their faces with masks won\u2019t help avoid detection.
The internet blackout has made it difficult for international media to gauge the extent of the protests, but footage verified by NBC News showed hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered at Kaj Square in Tehran, clapping and shouting the name of their country.
Another verified video showed hundreds of protesters gathered in Tehran\u2019s Ponak Square, chanting, playing music and waving their phone flashlights in the air. Other footage showed scores had also gathered in the city\u2019s Heravi Square, singing and clapping their hands as they marched through the streets.
It is unclear if the videos were taken on Friday or Saturday night. Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard-aligned media claimed that Saturday was a \u201ccalm\u201d night across the country, with security forces having \u201cput the rioters back in their place.\u201d
Solidarity protests took place in France, Germany and the United Kingdom as many Iranians living in Europe offered their support to their compatriots inside Iran. Michael Mohkam, a 78-year-old Iranian living in France, said he hoped for change so that expatriates could one day return home.
\u201cI\u2019ve been living here for 48 years. But my soul and body are in my home country,\u201d Mohkam said. \u201cWhen I left Iran to come here to pursue my studies, I left a magnificent paradise.\u201d
Reza Pahlavi<\/a>, the exiled son of Iran\u2019s late shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, continued to encourage the protesters on Sunday after earlier calling for them to prepare to seize city centers across Iran.
Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S. and has emerged as a figurehead for some of the protesters, touted Trump\u2019s support in a post on X Sunday and promised to be with the protesters \u201csoon.\u201d
Freddie Clayton is a freelance journalist based in London.\u00a0
Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Monica Alba is a White House correspondent for NBC News.
Julie\u00a0Tsirkin is a\u00a0correspondent covering Capitol Hill.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timePresident Donald Trump has been weighing a range of options against Iran amid the country\u2019s crackdown on protesters that human rights groups say has killed more than 500 people.Trump has said publicly that he may take action if Iranian leaders killed protesters challenging Iran\u2019s theocracy, as demonstrations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":196568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-196567","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}