Trump ‘unafraid to use military force on Iran’, White House says | Donald Trump
Donald Trump “is not afraid to use military force against Iran,” the White House said Monday as the Iranian regime still faces widespread unrest across the country.
Speaking to Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that while diplomacy remained Trump’s “first option,” he “was not afraid to use lethal force and the might of the United States military if and when he deemed it necessary.”
“Airstrikes would be one of many, many options that are on the table for the commander in chief,” Leavitt continued, adding, “He’s made it clear that he certainly doesn’t want to see people getting killed in the streets of Tehran, and unfortunately, that’s something we’re seeing right now.”
Referring to last year’s U.S. strikes on Iran’s three main nuclear sites — which subsequent satellite images showed caused more limited damage than Trump had claimed — Leavitt said of Trump’s potential use of U.S. military force: “Nobody knows that better than Iran.”
Leavitt also said Iran’s private and public messages toward the United States have been “quite different,” adding, “I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages.” » She did not specify the nature of the messages.
In recent weeks, the Iranian regime has faced its largest protest movement since 2009, which its leaders have sought to downplay, attributing the unrest to “American-Zionist terrorism.”
Tens of thousands of pro-government protesters took to the streets of Tehran on Monday in a state-organized rally intended to show support for the regime and counter growing unrest.
Meanwhile, images circulating online in recent days showed dozens of bodies lined up outside Tehran’s morgue, while Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights confirmed that at least 648 people had been killed during the protests. Additionally, the US Human Rights Activists News Agency reported more than 10,600 arrests by Iranian officials.
The protests, which began more than two weeks ago when Tehran traders protested a sudden depreciation of the Iranian rial, have since spread across the country and turned into direct challenges to religious leaders.
The Iranian regime has since responded with a harsh crackdown, including mass arrests, internet shutdowns and public warnings that participating in protests could be punishable by death.
At the same time, Trump has repeatedly threatened Tehran in response to the regime’s handling of the protests, saying earlier this month that if Iranian officials attacked protesters, the United States would “come to their rescue,” adding that the United States was “locked, loaded and ready to go.”
Last Friday, Trump reiterated his threats, saying: “I say to the Iranian leaders, ‘You better not start shooting, because we will start shooting too.’ »
