Trump mulls ‘strong military action’ against Iran as death toll in anti-govt protests crosses 500 – Firstpost

US President
Donald Trump claimed that Iran had proposed negotiations, but he is considering “very strong” military action against the West Asian nation over a deadly crackdown on protesters that has reportedly killed hundreds. When asked on the matter aboard the Air Force One on Sunday, if Iran has crossed his previously stated red line of protesters being killed, Trump said, “they’re starting to, it looks like.”

“We’re looking at it very seriously,” the US president said. “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he averred. Trump’s recent threats against Iran came amid rising tension in the Latin American region following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US forces.

Trump has maintained that Iran had proposed negotiations. “I think they’re tired of being beaten up by the United States,” he said. “Iran wants to negotiate.” However, he raised concerns over the death of protesters in Iran.

Over 500 killed in protests in Iran

At least
538 people have been killed in the violence surrounding demonstrations, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Out of this, 490 were protesters. The US-based body also noted that 10,600 people were arrested by Iranian authorities.

Another rights monitor, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group, said on Sunday at least 192 protesters had been killed in the protests. It is important to note that the casualty figures vary between rights groups as they struggled to access people within Iran amid the internet blackout in the country, but all are expected to be undercounts.

Meanwhile, the Iranian regime has not provided official figures of the death toll, and it has become impossible to independently verify the figures. The brutal crackdown in Iran has raised the likelihood of US intervention, with Trump saying he would “rescue” protesters if the Iranian government killed them. He reiterated his threat to intervene on Saturday night. “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” he said on Truth Social.

In response to these threats, the Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned Washington against “a miscalculation”, saying that Israel and US interests in the Middle East would be “legitimate targets”. “Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. Overall, tensions between Tehran and the US remain at an all-time high.