What are Trump’s military options for Iran?

Published January 13, 2026 12:52pm ET



President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene militarily if Iran continues its deadly crackdown on protests inside the country, though it’s unclear whether he will ultimately give an order and what it would entail.

Through the first couple of weeks of this iteration of protests in Iran, the country’s security forces are believed to have killed roughly 2,000 people. The government has also tried to blackout the internet so people within the country cannot communicate with one another or the outside world, which makes knowing and confirming the death toll challenging.

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