Trump ‘unafraid to use military force on Iran’, White House says
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran. (UGC via AP)
Donald Trump is “unafraid to use military force on Iran” the White House said on Monday as the Iranian regime still faces widespread unrest across the country.
Speaking to Fox News, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that although diplomacy remained Trump’s “first option”, he was “unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military if and when he deems that necessary”.
“Airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief,” Leavitt continued, adding: “He’s made it quite clear he certainly doesn’t want to see people being killed in the streets of Tehran, and unfortunately, that’s something we’re seeing right now.”
Pointing to last year’s US strikes on Iran’s three major nuclear sites – which subsequent satellite imagery suggested caused more limited damage than Mr Trump had claimed – Leavitt said of Trump’s potential use of US military force: “Nobody knows that better than Iran.”
Leavitt also said that Iran’s private and public messaging to the US had been “quite different”, adding: “I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages.” She did not elaborate on the nature of the messages.
In recent weeks, the Iranian regime has confronted its largest protest movement since 2009, which its leadership has sought to downplay, attributing the unrest to “American-Zionist terrorism”.
On Monday, tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran in a state-organised rally intended to show support for the regime and counter the growing unrest.
Meanwhile, footage circulating online in recent days showed dozens of bodies lined up outside Tehran’s morgue, as the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights confirmed that at least 648 people have been killed in the protests.
Additionally, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported more than 10,600 arrests by Iranian officials.
The protests, which began over two weeks ago when traders in Tehran protested over a sudden depreciation in the Iranian rial, have since spread nationwide and hardened into direct challenges to the clerical leadership.
The Iranian regime has since responded with a harsh crackdown including mass arrests, internet blackouts and public warnings that participation in the demonstrations could carry the death penalty.
At the same time, Mr 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 US would “come to their rescue”, adding that the US is “locked and loaded and ready to go”.
Last Friday, Mr Trump reiterated his threats, saying: “I tell the Iranian leaders, ‘You’d better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting too.’”
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