President Trump isn’t expected to make a final decision at the meeting. Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON—President Trump is scheduled to be briefed Tuesday on specific options to respond to the protests in Iran, according to U.S. officials, a sign the president is considering reprimanding the regime for its crackdown on demonstrators as he has repeatedly threatened.The president’s planned meeting with senior administration officials will be a discussion about the next steps, which could include boosting antigovernment sources online, deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on the regime and military strikes, the officials said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine are expected to attend the Tuesday meeting, the officials said.Trump isn’t expected to make a final decision at the meeting as the deliberations are at an early stage. On Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker threatened to attack American military bases in the Middle East if the U.S. acted first. During preliminary discussions between senior administration staff last week, aides expressed concern that the U.S. or Israel acting in the name of protesters could fuel regime propaganda that hostile outside powers are behind the countrywide uprising, some of the officials said.The Pentagon hasn’t moved any forces in preparation for potential military strikes. The U.S. would need to put assets in place not only to launch attacks but also protect American forces in the region. The U.S. recently moved the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group from the Mediterranean to Latin America, leaving no aircraft carrier in either the Middle East or Europe.The discussions come at a time of already heightened tensions in the region, especially over Syria. The U.S. launched wide-scale strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on Saturday in response to the killing of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter last month. Memos are being sent to agencies seeking their input on specific responses to the Iran situation—including potential military targets and economic options—ahead of the Trump meeting, according to some of the officials.One option under discussion is the possibility of the U.S. sending terminals of Starlink, a satellite-based internet service owned by Elon Musk, into Iran for the first time during the Trump administration, officials said, which could help protesters skirt a recent internet shutdown in the country.Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Saturday about the protests and other Middle East matters in Syria and Gaza, officials said.Some administration officials are concerned that any U.S. response could escalate tensions in the region, potentially provoking a direct confrontation between the U.S., Iran and possibly Israel. The administration is also aware that acting in a more symbolic way that harms but doesn’t degrade the regime could demoralize protesters who believe Washington will support them.The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.Jacob Helberg, State Department Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, wrote Sunday on social media that “President Trump’s strategy of MAXIMUM PRESSURE has brought the regime to its knees.”Tuesday’s meeting would be the first time Trump sits down with senior officials for a formal discussion about his options. However, Trump frequently asks aides for their thoughts on serious topics, including Iran policy, outside of less-formal briefings and has already received some ideas from his staff about what his response should be.The president has escalated his forceful language since the Iranian protests began two weeks ago. On Jan. 2, he said on social media that the U.S. is “locked and loaded” as he warned the Iranian regime not to kill peaceful protesters. Then on Friday, he said the U.S. would “start shooting” if authorities opened fire on demonstrators.He has continued offering his support for the uprising. “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” he posted Saturday to social media. “The USA stands ready to help!!!” He also linked to a story about a man in London who removed Iran’s flag from its embassy and replaced it with an antiregime banner.The State Department, alluding to the U.S. operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after many Trump warnings, posted on social-media site X: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”Trump has been emboldened after the successful Maduro mission as well as other bombing campaigns in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and Yemen he believes have secured U.S. interests, officials say.Vice President JD Vance last week said Iran could still show a willingness to negotiate with the U.S. over its nuclear program, a potential sign that Washington is open to a diplomatic result to the current crisis, not a military one. “The smartest thing for them to have done, it was true two months ago, it is true today, is for them to actually have a real negotiation with the United States about what we need to see when it comes to their nuclear program,” he told reporters in a White House briefing.Tehran has made no serious entreaties about talks in recent months, U.S. officials say.Tehran for now shows no signs of fearing U.S. action. Beyond the threat to American bases, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his aides indicate a broader crackdown on the demonstrators is coming. Mohammad Movahedi Azad, Iran’s attorney general, said Saturday people who take part in the protests are an “enemy of God”—a charge that results in the death penalty. The country’s army said Saturday it would “firmly safeguard national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property,” blaming Israel and what it called terrorist groups for the unrest and vowing to “thwart the enemy’s plots.”The protests began with merchants protesting economic conditions two weeks ago, growing into a nationwide revolt on Jan. 8 against the regime. More than 500 people, including members of security services, have been killed in the unrest, Human Rights Activists in Iran said Sunday.A new aerial strike on Iran would be the second time Trump has authorized an attack on the country. In August, B-2 stealth bombers heavily damaged three of the Iranian nuclear sites, setting back the regime’s nuclear program.Write to Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com and Lara Seligman at lara.seligman@wsj.com President Trump isn’t expected to make a final decision at the meeting. Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON—President Trump is scheduled to be briefed Tuesday on specific options to respond to the protests in Iran, according to U.S. officials, a sign the president is considering reprimanding the regime for its crackdown on demonstrators as he has repeatedly threatened.The president’s planned meeting with senior administration officials will be a discussion about the next steps, which could include boosting antigovernment sources online, deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on the regime and military strikes, the officials said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine are expected to attend the Tuesday meeting, the officials said.Trump isn’t expected to make a final decision at the meeting as the deliberations are at an early stage. On Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker threatened to attack American military bases in the Middle East if the U.S. acted first. During preliminary discussions between senior administration staff last week, aides expressed concern that the U.S. or Israel acting in the name of protesters could fuel regime propaganda that hostile outside powers are behind the countrywide uprising, some of the officials said.The Pentagon hasn’t moved any forces in preparation for potential military strikes. The U.S. would need to put assets in place not only to launch attacks but also protect American forces in the region. The U.S. recently moved the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group from the Mediterranean to Latin America, leaving no aircraft carrier in either the Middle East or Europe.The discussions come at a time of already heightened tensions in the region, especially over Syria. The U.S. launched wide-scale strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on Saturday in response to the killing of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter last month. Memos are being sent to agencies seeking their input on specific responses to the Iran situation—including potential military targets and economic options—ahead of the Trump meeting, according to some of the officials.One option under discussion is the possibility of the U.S. sending terminals of Starlink, a satellite-based internet service owned by Elon Musk, into Iran for the first time during the Trump administration, officials said, which could help protesters skirt a recent internet shutdown in the country.Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Saturday about the protests and other Middle East matters in Syria and Gaza, officials said.Some administration officials are concerned that any U.S. response could escalate tensions in the region, potentially provoking a direct confrontation between the U.S., Iran and possibly Israel. The administration is also aware that acting in a more symbolic way that harms but doesn’t degrade the regime could demoralize protesters who believe Washington will support them.The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.Jacob Helberg, State Department Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, wrote Sunday on social media that “President Trump’s strategy of MAXIMUM PRESSURE has brought the regime to its knees.”Tuesday’s meeting would be the first time Trump sits down with senior officials for a formal discussion about his options. However, Trump frequently asks aides for their thoughts on serious topics, including Iran policy, outside of less-formal briefings and has already received some ideas from his staff about what his response should be.The president has escalated his forceful language since the Iranian protests began two weeks ago. On Jan. 2, he said on social media that the U.S. is “locked and loaded” as he warned the Iranian regime not to kill peaceful protesters. Then on Friday, he said the U.S. would “start shooting” if authorities opened fire on demonstrators.He has continued offering his support for the uprising. “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” he posted Saturday to social media. “The USA stands ready to help!!!” He also linked to a story about a man in London who removed Iran’s flag from its embassy and replaced it with an antiregime banner.The State Department, alluding to the U.S. operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after many Trump warnings, posted on social-media site X: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”Trump has been emboldened after the successful Maduro mission as well as other bombing campaigns in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and Yemen he believes have secured U.S. interests, officials say.Vice President JD Vance last week said Iran could still show a willingness to negotiate with the U.S. over its nuclear program, a potential sign that Washington is open to a diplomatic result to the current crisis, not a military one. “The smartest thing for them to have done, it was true two months ago, it is true today, is for them to actually have a real negotiation with the United States about what we need to see when it comes to their nuclear program,” he told reporters in a White House briefing.Tehran has made no serious entreaties about talks in recent months, U.S. officials say.Tehran for now shows no signs of fearing U.S. action. Beyond the threat to American bases, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his aides indicate a broader crackdown on the demonstrators is coming. Mohammad Movahedi Azad, Iran’s attorney general, said Saturday people who take part in the protests are an “enemy of God”—a charge that results in the death penalty. The country’s army said Saturday it would “firmly safeguard national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property,” blaming Israel and what it called terrorist groups for the unrest and vowing to “thwart the enemy’s plots.”The protests began with merchants protesting economic conditions two weeks ago, growing into a nationwide revolt on Jan. 8 against the regime. More than 500 people, including members of security services, have been killed in the unrest, Human Rights Activists in Iran said Sunday.A new aerial strike on Iran would be the second time Trump has authorized an attack on the country. In August, B-2 stealth bombers heavily damaged three of the Iranian nuclear sites, setting back the regime’s nuclear program.Write to Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com and Lara Seligman at lara.seligman@wsj.com Read More
January 11, 2026