Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chief of Staff Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kaine. Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Ten days ago, he stated that the US was ready to come to the 'rescue' of Iranian protesters if the country's authorities used violence against them.
The United States, according to the president, was "fully ready for action".
This was before harsh crackdowns truly began in Iran. Now, as their scale is shockingly revealed, the world awaits Trump's reaction.
"No one knows what President Trump will do except President Trump himself," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "The world can continue to wait and guess."
But for how long?
On Tuesday, high-ranking officials are expected to brief the president on possible courses of action. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he was considering "some very tough options".
Inspired by the success in Venezuela — the president called the capture of Nicolás Maduro one of the most successful operations in US history — the temptation to use military force must apparently be quite significant.
As events this summer showed, the US is fully capable of conducting long-range strikes. B-2 stealth aircraft performed 30-hour round trips from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to drop heavy bombs on two of Iran's most important nuclear facilities.
Whether the US will choose something similar again, or precision strikes on regime targets responsible for the current suppression of protests, — it can be assumed that Washington has a long list of targets for possible actions.
Pentagon officials, cited by American CBS News, say the response could include various other, more secretive methods, including cyber operations and covert psychological campaigns aimed at disrupting and confusing Iran's command structures.
One scenario that can almost certainly be ruled out, however, is anything even remotely resembling what happened in Caracas on January 3.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has urged Americans to leave Iran.
"Leave Iran immediately. Develop a departure plan that does not rely on the assistance of US authorities. If you cannot leave, find a safe place, stock up on food, water, and medicines," the message states.
Americans are advised to leave Iran via Armenia and Turkey. The call to leave the country is due to the deteriorating communication and security situation.
The publication notes that if a person holds both Iranian and American citizenship, they should leave the country using their Iranian passport to avoid checks and detention.
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